With Ryan Ellis’ Return Imminent, How Do Preds Adjust Lineup?

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The Nashville Predators are playing their best hockey of the season right now. All lines are scoring, the defense is contributing on both ends of the ice, and the goaltending has been outrageous. Since acquiring Kyle Turris from the Ottawa Senators on November 5th, the Predators have gone 13-3-2, which is good for the best record in the NHL over that time. That record has skyrocketed the Predators to the top of the Western Conference and just points behind Tampa Bay for the top spot in the NHL.

While all this seems outstanding, the most impressive part of this start has been the Predators have done it all without one of their best defensemen, Ryan Ellis. Ellis suffered a knee injury during the playoffs last year that required off-season surgery. Initial reports had Ellis returning around the beginning of January, and he is right on track. He’s been practicing with the team recently, even taking off the non-contact jersey, and sounds like his return is just a few weeks away.

Ellis returning to the Predators cannot be overstated. Getting Ellis back is just like pulling off a blockbuster trade in the middle of the season, except the Preds won’t have to give up any assets. The return of Ellis will hopefully kick the Predators into yet another gear, but it also means that David Poile and Peter Laviolette have a big decision to make. Who is going to sit and what are the defensive pairings going to be once Ellis returns to lineup? The Predators currently have 23 players on their active roster, so a move will have to be made once Ellis is activated off IR. It may not be as easy a decision as you may think.

Let’s take a look at what we know: Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, P.K. Subban, and Ellis are all going to be in the lineup. These four are far and away the best defensemen on the Preds roster. You could also make the argument that Alexei Emelin will also be on the ice on a nightly basis, barring a trade. Emelin isn’t the most popular guy amongst fans, but I think that’s because he doesn’t play a flashy game like the others. He’s a classic stay-at-home defensemen that won’t put up a ton of points, but will make life miserable for opposing players in his own end. He’s also not afraid to throw the body around, something that the other d-men aren’t quite as good at.

Once you establish that those five d-men will be in the lineup, Laviolette has to determine how to best utilize them and who the 6th d-man will be. The Predators seemed to finally hit their stride and take off on their incredible run last year by pairing Josi and Ellis together and Subban and Ekholm. By doing this, Lavy does run the risk of messing with the chemistry the team has built so far this year. Ekholm has had a monster year so far playing with Josi on the top pairing. This is probably a mix of Ekholm continuing to develop as a player and getting more opportunities with Ellis out. Subban and Emelin have also been playing well together. Emelin seems to complement Subban very well. While Subban plays an aggressive offensive style, he can be prone to turnovers. A stay-at-home d-man like Emelin can stay back and act as an insurance policy for Subban.

To me, however, you have to go with what you know works. I would go back to last year’s pairings and stick Josi with Ellis and Subban with Ekholm. That gives you balance throughout the top two pairings who are going to chew up most of the minutes. As I stated above, I think Emelin is in the lineup as well.

That means it’s a three-man battle for the last spot between Matt Irwin, Yannick Weber, and Anthony Bitetto. A move must be made to stay at the 23-player max. Poile could certainly opt to send one of the above to Milwaukee, but there’s the danger of losing the player on waivers for nothing. A trade could certainly be on the horizon as well, but I don’t think you would get much more than a late round draft pick for any of them, though that would be better than losing them for nothing. There’s also the possibility of trading or releasing one of the forwards like Cody McLeod and carrying Irwin, Weber, and Bitetto. I think this is unlikely though, as this would leave your forward depth dangerously thin. If the decision were up to me, I think I send Bitetto to Milwaukee and alternate playing Irwin and Weber with whoever has the hot hand for any particular night.

One thing is for sure though, the Predators are getting an outstanding player back in Ellis. He’s a leader on and off the ice and will only strengthen the Preds’ lineup. He’s a defenseman that does a little bit of everything, and does it very well. I’m sure Poile and Laviolette have already begun player evaluations to determine how to tinker the roster to fit Ellis in. It’s a great problem to have though if you’re the coach, GM, or even a fan of the team. Hopefully, Ellis can step right in and make the Predators an even more dangerous team for the remainder of the season as the team chases that elusive Stanley Cup.

Herbie Brooks is the Lead Hockey Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B

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