Nashville Predators Sign Pardy, Update on Injuries
The Nashville Predators are mid-battle with the attrition that comes along with an NHL season.
The Nashville Predators are having their depth tested at the quarter mark of the season, suffering a rash of injuries that have taken a number of players from active duty.
Perhaps the biggest impact comes along with an upper-body injury to top-line sniper James Neal, who had his status downgraded to week-to-week after missing the team’s last contest. Neal currently leads the Nashville Predators with 10 goals on the season, production that will be tough to replace.
Also on the forward core, fourth-line center Colton Sissons remains a non-participant in team activity following his unfortunate head-first spill into the boards, an incident which earned the offending Winnipeg Jet checker a 5-minute major last week. The injury is officially listed as upper-body.
More from Predlines
The Nashville Predators will continue to rely on rookies Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau to fill the voids. Gaudreau performed well in a fourth line role during the Pred’s last contest against the Colorado Avalanche, but it was Fiala whole stole the show, looking strong and notching a goal with his given opportunity.
On the defensive end, Ryan Ellis remains day-to-day after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury. One of the cogs in the Nashville Predators top-two defensive pairs, Ellis is still listed on the IR, though he has skated with the team and may see a return to action this weekend.
Anthony Bitetto, who filled in for the injured Ellis and had only just returned to the ice after suffering a lengthy early-season injury, will once again be removed from action for an extended period of time. Expected to miss six weeks with a broken hand, Bitetto’s sophomore season is surely not going the way anyone hoped it would.
Following the retirement of reserve defenseman Matt Carle, the Nashville Predators have signed 32-year-old Adam Pardy to a two-way deal, hoping to patch in some veteran defensive depth.
Pardy has experienced action in 338 NHL games for five separate teams, and has scored 5 points in 12 games for the Milwaukee Admirals at the AHL level this season. If Ellis misses time this weekend, it’s possible Pardy steps into a role on the third defensive pairing if the Preds opt to not put second-year player Petter Granberg in the lineup.
The Nashville Predators are making the necessary moves to repair their roster and continue forward with the momentum gained from a blazing November. The team returns to action on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.
This article originally appeared on 
