The Predators have slipped to the bottom of the Central Division, a place that hardly anyone would have seen them being in at the start of the season. However, some help could be on the horizon as Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Ellis skated today for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury back on January 1st at the Winter Classic. Ellis is second on the team in ice time at over 23 minutes a night while his 0.72 points per game average is the second-highest of his career.
Meanwhile, Vingan adds in a separate tweet that while center Colton Sissons won’t play tonight, he could return as soon as Thursday against New Jersey or Saturday against Vegas. He has missed the last month due to a lower-body injury. The Predators have an open roster spot so they won’t need to send anyone down in order to activate Sissons off injured reserve.
More from the Western Conference:
- Coyotes center Barrett Hayton has yet to play since suffering a shoulder injury back at the World Juniors but it appears he’s nearing a return. Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic notes that the 19-year-old is skating with the team but has yet to be cleared for contact though head coach Rick Tocchet indicated that Hayton could be cleared soon. The number five pick in 2018 has had a very limited role in Arizona this season, playing in just 14 games.
- Dallas winger Roope Hintz is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reports Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in his first shift against Tampa Bay on Monday. The 23-year-old has been productive in his first full NHL season; his 15 goals lead Dallas heading into Wednesday’s game against Toronto.
AZ is an awful team. The only reason they had the nice start was because Kuemper was having the best season of his life. With Raanta in net the lack of team talent is obvious. They should play Hayton and let him start developing since they aren’t going anywhere this season.