Josi Returns to Training Camp '100 Percent' Healthy, Ready to Lead Preds Once More

That collective sigh of relief you may have noticed on Thursday morning came thanks to a piece of news revealed as the Predators opened their 2025 Training Camp at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

Roman Josi, who missed the final two months of the previous season due to injury, was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) over the summer, a condition that causes a number of symptoms when transitioning from lying down to standing up, including dizziness, increased heart rate and fatigue.

So when Preds General Manager Barry Trotz first - and then the Nashville captain himself - declared 100 percent health with regard to the ailment as camp began, yes, there was reason for contentment.

“I feel good,” Josi said following his first official practice. “I had a lot of time this summer, obviously, to recover, and I’ve been skating for a while now. Even after the season, [I] started skating pretty soon and was obviously ramping up and practicing even before camp… So, today was good. It was hard, but it was a good day.”

The 2020 Norris Trophy Winner as the NHL’s top defenseman says just to get some clarity on what was bothering him was important. Josi added there were symptoms present “for a while” before a hit he took in a game last February against Florida took him out of the lineup for good.

“That's where I figured it out,” Josi said of the aftermath of the hit. “This was a really good thing for me to get some clarity. [I was] kind of self diagnosing a lot, and just having some clarity and having a plan going forward was huge for me. So, feeling a lot better, and feeling really good on the ice.”

Josi says his symptoms described POTS exactly - minor headaches, increased heart rate and fatigue for seemingly no reason. Now with a plan in place to deal with those symptoms if they appear, which includes changing his diet and a new morning routine, Josi isn’t concerned with what’s to come in that regard.

"Just having that clarity on what's going on, and not just being in the unknown of why I'm feeling certain ways and having the tools to manage it a lot better now is huge for me,” Josi said. “It makes a world of a difference. So, I'm definitely back 100 percent and feeling really good on the ice.”

For Josi’s teammates, the return of their captain makes a world of difference. Just ask Filip Forsberg, who has played with Josi longer than anyone else on the Nashville roster.

“It's hard to put his importance into words,” Forsberg said of his teammate. “He’s obviously the captain. He's our best player. He drives the play from the back end. He's a voice in the locker room, and you can tell how much we missed him last year. You just kind of take it for granted when you have him, and when he's not there, it's definitely something missing. So, I'm thrilled beyond words to have him back. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play with him again.”

Jonathan Marchessault, who became teammates with Josi for the first time last season after joining the Preds from Vegas, knew Josi had an immense impact from afar. But, to see that influence up close gave an even greater appreciation to what the captain means.

“If you ask Colorado to be without [All-Star defenseman Cale] Makar, or Vancouver to be without [All-Star blueliner Quinn] Hughes, I mean, it’s pretty hurtful for a team,” Marchessault said. “So last year, it's no secret, it hurt us missing Roman. He’s an elite category defenseman…and if they're not there, it changes the whole atmosphere of your team. Not having Roman Josi on the ice for 25, 30 minutes a night, it hurts you. So, we're just happy to see him back to himself… It’s just fun to see him back and flying everywhere, just making plays everywhere. It’s pretty remarkable how [much of a] high-paced player he is out there. He’s definitely in a different category for defensemen, and we're lucky to have him back.”

Josi only skated in 53 games last season, the lowest total of his career for a full 82-game campaign, but that was still plenty of time to share in the disappointment with the rest of his teammates of how things went.

Paired with offseason acquisition and 6-foot-6 defenseman Nic Hague on Thursday, Josi is intent on leading the Predators back to where they believe they can be - much higher in the standings than they finished a few months back.

And with his health back to full strength, there are at least 59 reasons for optimism.

“We’re all excited,” Josi said. “Nobody was happy the way the year went on the team, and I think individually, a lot of guys have a chip on their shoulder, and that's not a bad thing… I think the expectations from the outside are a little different this year than they were last year. But, everybody in here has a lot of confidence in our team… We all know what happened last year, and like I said, we're coming back with a chip on our shoulders, and I think there's a lot of guys in this room that want to prove that we're a great team, and we're excited for that.”