Predators Bring Back Former First-Round Pick On Tryout
The Predators have signed Jost to a professional tryout agreement for their 2026-27 training camp.
Jost spent all of last season in Nashville after the Predators claimed him off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes in October, but his one-year, two-way deal expired this summer, leaving him to search for a new opportunity as an unrestricted free agent.
Quiet Season That Still Earned Him Another Look
Jost's numbers with Nashville last year weren't flashy.
He posted eight goals and 16 points in 69 games in a bottom-six role, adding 30 penalty minutes and a minus-21 rating while averaging 12:25 of ice time a night.
Even so, it represented progress for the 28-year-old, marking the first time since the 2022-23 season that he'd played more than half a season's worth of NHL games in a single year.
Tyson Jost will be joining the #Preds on a PTO #NHL pic.twitter.com/qOMN0SyAXO
— R i N K Y (@RinkyReport) September 8, 2026
The Predators originally became interested in Jost after watching him perform well in the preseason against them while he was still with Carolina, which set up the waiver claim that brought him to Nashville in the first place.
Battle For A Roster Spot
Landing a job this time around won't be simple.
Nashville is expected to lean on KHL signee Vitali Pinchuk for bottom-six minutes after moving out multiple depth pieces this offseason, and Jost will also be competing with Alexander Kerfoot, Ross Colton, and top prospect Brady Martin for regular ice time.
If Pinchuk struggles to adjust to the NHL, Jost's familiarity with the organization and head coach Andrew Brunette's system could make him a reliable fallback option.
Tyson Jost will be joining #Smashville on a PTO (tryout)https://t.co/hQCxzZao9w
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 8, 2026
A first-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche back in 2016, Jost has bounced through five organizations over parts of 10 NHL seasons, tallying 69 goals and 165 points across 564 career games with the Avalanche, Wild, Sabres, Hurricanes, and Predators.
If he doesn't win a spot on Nashville's opening night roster out of camp, the fallback plan would be to accept an assignment to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, where he'd need to sign a new contract to continue his career in the organization.
