Even with the lengthy injury to Ryan Ellis, the Nashville Predators have an elite defense. Here’s what you should expect from them in 2017-18.
Even though the Nashville Predators are morphing into a high-powered offensive machine, the defense is still elite. Ryan Ellis‘ unfortunate lower body injury tempers those expectations greatly, but the Predators are so deep at the position that they can weather this storm.
Ellis can hopefully return by January, per NHL writer Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. That leaves enough time for him to make an impact on the stretch run of the season, so all is not lost here.
Due to the loss of Ellis, the Predators have a monkey wrench thrown into their plans. With him out, here are season predictions on the remaining key defenseman on the roster.