Nashville Predators: How Much Can We Expect When Ryan Ellis Returns?

The long wait for Ryan Ellis to make his return to the Nashville Predators lineup is almost over. But how much rust will need to be shaken off?

Fear the beard everyone. Ryan Ellis is finally about to return to what he does best, which is blasting one-timers at opposing goaltenders.

It’s been about a month and a half since the Nashville Predators got pummeled by the Dallas Stars in the Winter Classic, and to add salt to the wound, lost Ellis thanks to a questionable blow to the head.

Dallas’ Corey Perry was the guilty party, was disqualified for the rest of the game and suspended for five games. The punishment didn’t really do it justice it felt like due to how much time Ellis has missed.

You be the judge of how dirty the hit was, via Sportsnet:

Not going to get into how dirty the hit was by Perry, because I’d be here typing all day.

As for focusing on the present and future, Ellis is very near returning to game action. He’s been skating for a while now and participating in morning skates with the team, per Brooks Bratten:

The team has taken the cautious approach with not rushing him back, and that’s always the smart move when dealing with head injuries.

What Ellis’ return will mean

Ellis was quietly having a really productive season before his injury, especially in the assist department. He’s still 4th on the team in assists with 22 despite missing so much time.

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It’s no secret that the Predators have struggled defensively this season, even with Ellis in the lineup.

But now they’ve made the coaching change, and Ellis hasn’t played a game yet under John Hynes. Progress is being made in this area, and Ellis will only amplify that even more.

Ellis has always been a huge power play weapon for the Predators with his one-timer blasts. We’ll be happy to have that weapon back in the fold as the Predators are 23rd in the league in power play percentage.

I would expect Jared Tinordi to be the odd man out and return to the Milwaukee Admirals after Ellis returns. However, the third pairing has been in flux all season, and it will be interesting to see how Hynes arranges the lineup.

It seems likely that Ellis’ return is going to come this Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. That would make sense for me anyway.

I full expect a little bit of rust to be around for Ellis. But after a game or two, he’ll be fully ready to assist in the playoff push over the last 20-plus games. It just takes time to get back adjusted to game action and speed after missing that much time.

Excited to see what Ellis can bring to the team for this stretch run. The Predators are somehow very much still in the playoff race, and getting one of their top players back should hopefully ignite that push even more.