As soon as he stepped onto the ice for practice on Tuesday, Andreas Englund instantly became Nashville’s tallest defenseman.
Standing 6-foot-4, the 29-year-old Englund - who was claimed on waivers by the Predators last week from Los Angeles - has been using that size to his advantage across his NHL career, and his new club could use that element.
After a majority of the team returned to Tennessee from a week off in conjunction with the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Preds announced defenseman Jeremy Lauzon would miss the next 4-6 months with a lower-body injury. That timetable, of course, will keep Lauzon out for the remainder of the season, a notable blow to Nashville’s defense corps when it comes to the physical side of the game.
Englund might just be the perfect person to slot in, and after appearing in only 11 games with the Kings this season, he’s hoping a fresh start will be beneficial for all sides.
“I'm excited,” Englund said Tuesday following his first skate in his new surroundings. “I haven’t played a ton this year, so I’m happy to get a little change of scenery and hopefully get some games in. It seems like a good opportunity for me… Defense-first is my game, and [I want to] bring physicality and just be solid and bring the same stuff every day.”
Originally selected by Ottawa in the second round (40th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Englund broke into the League with the Senators before making stops in Colorado, Chicago and Los Angeles. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, the blueliner has 173 games of NHL experience with two goals and 18 points, but his 152 penalty minutes and 426 hits over that time stand out.
“Obviously his size catches your eye right away, and he moves pretty well for a big guy,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Englund. “I’m looking forward to getting to know him a little bit more as a player and as a person."
Brunette does envision Englund potentially filling a role vacated with Lauzon’s injury, and while it remains to be seen if the defender will make his Predators debut on Saturday against Colorado, that physicality element is enticing.
“They're both physical guys that like to step up, and they're long,” Brunette said of Englund and Lauzon. “We don't have a lot of that profile [of player], and obviously losing Jeremy for the year, we get a chance to take a look at [Englund]. His body of work over the last couple years has been pretty good, so hopefully he can step in here and give us a little bit of identity back there.”
Englund, who was spending time in Denver during the break when he got the call to learn the Predators had claimed him, got back to Los Angeles to do some packing before heading east. He’s previously spent time playing with fellow Preds Justin Barron and Justus Annunen, but otherwise, there were plenty of hands to shake for the first time.
That acclimating continued the rest of the week before the Predators return to action with a doubleheader at Bridgestone Arena against Colorado and New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday, respectively - and Englund will be ready no matter when his No. 8 is called.
“[I’ve had some time] with this group of guys, and they seem to be great, and I'm excited,” Englund said. “I'm excited to try to help the team with all that I’ve got. That’s a great group of guys, the first practice was great, and I’m looking forward to playing with them.”
