Nashville Predators defenseman on injured reserve after scary incident
The Nashville Predators will be down a defenseman for a few weeks after an incident during Friday's 4-1 win over the New York Islanders. Ryan McDonagh will be out for "two to four weeks" with an upper body injury, likely as a result of this play on Friday: Taking a puck to the face always […]
The Nashville Predators will be down a defenseman for a few weeks after an incident during Friday's 4-1 win over the New York Islanders.
Ryan McDonagh will be out for "two to four weeks" with an upper body injury, likely as a result of this play on Friday:
Taking a puck to the face always looks painful, but that one looked especially painful as he literally made a save with his face. There is likely some reconstruction effort involved if McDonagh is going to be out 2-4 weeks.
The Preds also recalled Jordan Gross from Milwaukee in a corresponding move. Gross was impressive in his first stint with Nashville earlier in the year, scoring two goals on six shots. He should fill in McDonagh's role on the offensive end nicely, but he doesn't bring the same defensive presence on the back end.
This injury is unfortunate timing for both McDonagh and the Preds defense. Though the first month of the season was rough, the blueline had started to figure things out recently. The group has seen improved structure and stability over the last few weeks, with McDonagh recently finding his home with Roman Josi on the top pair.
Look for Jordan Gross to reunite with Roman Josi on the top pair, allowing the other defensive pairings to be unaffected by this injury.
The Nashville Predators, who have won three straight games, return to action this Thursday at Tampa in what would have been Ryan McDonagh's return to Florida to play his old team. That homecoming will have to wait until at least 2023.
— Featured image via Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports —