Predators’ Nicolas Hague out 4-6 weeks with upper-body injury

Tough news for a player expected to be a key piece on the back end in Smashville.

On Wednesday, Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette announced that defenseman Nicolas Hague is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury.

Brunette stated that Hague’s injury occurred during the Predators’ second preseason game against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Hague played just over 15 minutes in the contest, second-fewest among Nashville’s rearguards. He picked up an assist on Matthew Wood’s goal in the second period, as well as registering three shots on goal. The Preds went on to win the game, 5-3.

The injury to the Kitchener native throws a wrench in the team’s plans as we close in on the regular season. Hague was acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights back in June. He was on his way to becoming a restricted free agent, but instead signed a four-year contract extension with his new team. The 26-year-old’s new deal has a cap hit of $5.5 million through the 2028-29 campaign.

Hague was projected to be on the top pair with captain Roman Josi. However, with Hague now going to miss the team’s first few games of the season, if not more, the Preds might have to turn to one of the team’s younger defenders to fill in the gaps.

Hague had been a constant presence on the blue line in Vegas for the past few years, helping the team win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2023. He hasn’t been much of a scoring threat, posting no more than 17 points in a single season. Last year, he notched five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 68 games, along with adding two more assists in the playoffs.

In 364 NHL regular-season games, Hague has totaled 20 goals and 63 assists for 83 points, with another 10 points in 44 postseason contests.