Predators’ Jonathan Marchessault to return following four-game injury absence

Nashville Predators forward Jonathan Marchessault is set to make his return to the lineup Tuesday versus the New York Islanders following a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury, reports team broadcaster Max Herz.

Through 73 appearances with the Predators this season, Marchessault has posted 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points to sit second in team scoring behind fellow forward Filip Forsberg.

Skating in his first season with the Predators, Marchessault joined Nashville this past offseason after agreeing to a five-year, $27.5-million deal in unrestricted free agency, per PuckPedia.

Prior to joining the Predators, Marchessault spent seven seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights underscored by the 2022-23 campaign where he put up 57 points through 76 regular season showings before adding another 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points through 22 postseason appearances to claim the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and his first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

In all, through 711 career contests with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Golden Knights, and Predators, Marchessault has totaled 249 goals and 287 assists for 536 points. In his first season with the Golden Knights in 2017-18, Marchessault reached a career-high 75 points counting 27 goals and 48 assists coming in 77 games.

An offensive star in the junior ranks, the 34-year-old Quebec City native put up 239 points counting 87 goals and 141 assists through 254 games with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts from 2007-11. A year later, Marchessault signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent.

For the Predators, on the season the club sits 27-42-8 and is in the midst of a six-game losing skid. In late March, the Predators were eliminated from the postseason race, marking the second time in the past three seasons in which the Predators failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.