Predators sign Hinostroza, Lucchini, Blakenburg, Murray to contracts

Already one of the busiest teams on day one of NHL free agency, the Nashville Predators were far from done, announcing the signing of four depth players Monday evening.

The team signed Vinnie Hinostroza to a two-year, two-way; forward Jake Lucchini to a two-year, two-way contract; defenseman Nick Blankenburg to a two-year contract that is two-way in 2024-25 and one-way in 2025-26, and goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year, two-way contract.

All the deals were worth $775,000 at the NHL level.

The 30-year-old Hinostroza had a goal and two assists in 14 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, spending the majority of 2023-24 with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 42 games.

Taken by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Hinostroza has 54 goals and 97 assists for 151 points in 374 career NHL games.

The 29-year-old Lucchini had two goals and three assists in 40 games with the Minnesota Wild last season. He also recorded 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 30 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Undrafted, Lucchini has recorded 70 goals and 90 assists for 160 points in 267 career AHL games.

Blankenburg, 26, played 12 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, recording one goal. He appeared in 55 career NHL games, all with the Blue Jackets, scoring six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. Before going professional, he captained the University of Michigan as a senior in 2021-22, and dressed for the U.S. in the 2022 World Championship.

Finally, the 26-year-old Murray went 14-15-2 with an .896 SV in 31 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars. He appeared in one NHL game last season, recording a 23-save shutout against the Wild. Murray has a 37-26-7 record with a .907 SV% in 71 career AHL games.