The Predators announced Sunday evening that they’ve activated defenseman Luke Schenn from injured reserve. Schenn will return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Jets.
Today’s appearance will be Schenn’s first since sustaining a lower-body injury after the NHL season-opening game against the Lightning on October 10. Within a week of Schenn exiting the lineup, the Predators announced he was expected out of the lineup for four to six weeks. His return comes right on schedule within that recovery timeframe.
The 34-year-old has had somewhat of a career renaissance over the previous two seasons. The fifth-overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Maple Leafs, Schenn was almost out of the league entirely in the mid-to-late 2010s and earned multiple demotions to the AHL. After capturing two Stanley Cup rings with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 while playing an extremely limited role, Schenn once again became an everyday NHLer after signing a two-year deal with the Canucks in 2021.
Over the last two seasons, Schenn remained in a somewhat limited role but was a regular appearance in the lineup, playing in 136 games with the Canucks and Maple Leafs after a 2023 deadline deal sent him back to Toronto. He’s notched 39 points, a +23 rating, and 145 penalty minutes in that time.
An especially strong finish to 2022-23, riding shotgun at times on Toronto’s top defense pairing with Morgan Rielly, earned Schenn a significant three-year, $8.25MM commitment with the Predators when free agency opened on July 1. It’s a bit of a risky gamble for a player who will be 36 at the end of the deal, but Predators GM Barry Trotz hopes Schenn will add a physical element to Nashville’s back end and provide some protection for star puck-moving defender Roman Josi.
The Predators had room on the 23-man roster to execute this move, meaning no corresponding transaction is necessary.