Nashville Predators Recall Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee, Place Jeremy Lauzon on IR

The Nashville Predators have recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals after placing defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) on injured reserve.

Gravel has one assist and a +2 rating in three games with the Predators this season from Dec. 12-17. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-shot defenseman is serving as captain of the Admirals for the second straight season and has recorded five points (1 goal, 4 assists) through 25 appearances with Milwaukee.

Lauzon has not appeared in either of the Predators' previous two games after he left Nashville's Dec. 31 game against the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury and did not return. He joins fellow defenseman Adam Wilsby and winger Cole Smith on IR.

Both Lauzon and Wilsby are left-shot defensemen, leaving the left side of Nashville's blue line especially thin. Gravel, along with recently recalled defenseman Spencer Stastney, can slot in to alleviate the impact of those injuries, while Roman Josi will likely shift over to the right side on the top pairing.

The Predators are set to wrap up a six-game road trip Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT against the Winnipeg Jets.

Visit The Hockey News Nashville Predators team site to stay updated on the latest news, game day coverage, player features, podcasts and more.

Recent Predators News

Related: Golden! Predators Prospect Teddy Stiga Scores Electrifying Goal to Win WJC for US

Related: How Alex Ovechkin Inspired Predators Rookie Fedor Svechkov's Goal vs. Calgary