The Nashville Predators may be rethinking adding Alexander Radulov to their roster after all.
The Preds announced that they have suspended Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for Game 3 after the duo violated team rules. According to Sportsnet's John Shannon, the two were spotted in Scottsdale at 4 a.m. on the eve of Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series with the Phoenix Coyotes.
"The Nashville Predators have a few simple rules centered around doing the right things," general manager David Poile said in a statement. "We have always operated with a team-first mentality and philosophy. Violating team rules in not fair to our team and their teammates."
The subtraction of Radulov may actually be a blessing in disguise for Nashville. The forward, who was controversially allowed to join the Preds at the conclusion of the KHL season, has been little more than luggage during the playoffs.
Radulov has looked disinterested at times, and he has taken a lot of criticism in the past week or so. He's a minus-3 through the first two games of this series, both Nashville losses, after turning in a solid first-round series against Detroit.
Kostitsyn has 3-1-4 totals and is a plus-3 through the playoffs thus far, including a pair of goals in this series.
