"He's a big part of our team," Laviolette said. "He's a big piece. He's been our top scorer for a few years now and a guy who makes a difference scoring goals and making plays, taking down the minutes that he does. So when that day comes, we'll be happy to have him back."
Nashville, which has gone 7-2-1 in Forsberg's absence, is 29-11-7, one point behind the Winnipeg Jets with three games in hand for first place in the Central Division. Forsberg played in 325 consecutive games before his injury, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and hadn't missed a game since April 13, 2014.
"It's not fun to sit out but at the me time, I've been fortunate to play a lot of games in a row," Forsberg said. "Obviously it wasn't fun but at the same time, guys played unbelievable and that made it a lot easier."
Nashville had a week between games from Jan. 9-16 and was off for the All-Star break this weekend.
"Not that I planned on it, but it could have been a way different time at least," Forsberg said. "We had eight days off in whatever weeks it's been since I've been hurt. It couldn't have been better timing, for sure."
If Forsberg is able to return against the Blackhawks, the Predators will have all of their players available to them for the first time this season. Defenseman Ryan Ellis missed the first 38 games of the season and played four days after Forsberg's injury.
"Teams go through stuff like this up and down throughout the year, and obviously we've been playing well through injuries," Forsberg said. "We played well when [Ellis] was hurt. We played well when everyone's been hurt, and obviously guys have played unbelievable now since I've been hurt. That proves that we're a really good team and it's not about one guy."