The Nashville Predators are in a sort of hockey purgatory where they’re too good to get a good pick. However, they’re also too bad to be a Stanley Cup Playoff team. The team has yet to decide if it will buy or sell at the March 3 deadline. However, the Ryan Johansen injury may decide general manager David Poile’s course. Team officials said that Johansen will be out 12 weeks with a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old had surgery on his right leg on Wednesday.
Update: Ryan Johansen will miss an estimated 12 weeks following surgery on his right leg Wednesday afternoon.
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 23, 2023
Ryan Johansen Injury Has Centre Out for Months
Johansen left late in the second period of the Predators win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Vancouver native appeared to have the back of his right leg clipped by the skate of Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes. The veteran centre left Bridgestone Arena on cructches on Tuesday.
In his 12-year NHL career, Johansen has played with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Predators. The centre has 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 55 games for the 2022-23 campaign. He has 189 goals and 366 assists for 555 career points. His Corsi for is 59.5 and he has a relative Corsi of 14.1. Columbus picked Johansen with the fourth overall selection of the 2010 NHL Draft. He was traded straight up for defenceman Seth Jones in the 2015-16 season.
What the Ryan Johansen Injury Means
This is not ideal for the team if it wants to make a playoff push. Teams have been calling on certain players like Mattias Ekholm and others. Poile and the Predators are trying to hang on as long as they can. However, this injury may force their hand.
Nashville got its best season out of Johansen last year when he scored 26 goals for the club. That was the highest total since he bagged 33 with Columbus in the 2013-14 season. The Predators will miss him at both ends of the ice and they’ll be without one of their top two centres for a while. If the Predators do make the post-season, there’s hope he can return for the playoffs.
Main photo by: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
