While Predators defenseman Roman Josi landed on IR earlier this week, he wasn’t there for long. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean relays (Twitter link) that the team has activated the blueliner, making him available to play today versus Los Angeles.
The 34-year-old missed the last week and a half due to a lower-body injury. As has been the case for many of the Predators’ top players this season, Josi has struggled a bit offensively, at least relative to his production from 2023-24. He had 85 points in 82 games a year ago, making him the Norris Trophy runner-up along the way.
This season, he has produced seven goals and 16 assists through 29 games; he sits second on the team to Filip Forsberg in points while leading the way in ATOI at 24:59 per game so he certainly hasn’t been a primary reason for their surprising struggles. Suffice it to say, his return will certainly be a key upgrade on the blueline as they look to get back on track before the holiday break.
The Preds sent blueliners Marc Del Gaizo and Kevin Gravel down to the minors yesterday so they had ample roster space to activate Josi. Following this move, they’re back at 22 players on their active roster.