Predators recall veteran defenseman ahead of Game 6 vs. Canucks

The Predators recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee on Thursday, per a team announcement.

Gravel, 32, is expected to serve as Nashville’s lone healthy scratch on defense for Friday’s Game 6 against the Canucks. Out of their eight previously rostered defensemen, Spencer Stastney has already been ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 3, while veteran Luke Schenn was a late scratch ahead of Game 5 due to illness. His recall indicates Schenn will likely remain unavailable on Friday.

Dante Fabbro and Tyson Barrie have entered the lineup in Stastney’s and Schenn’s absences, serving in top-four roles alongside Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh, respectively. The Preds trailed Vancouver 3-1 in the series entering Game 5, but a 2-1 road win — including a secondary assist from Barrie on Josi’s power-play goal to tie the game in the third period — kept Nashville alive.

Gravel has 132 regular-season games of NHL experience under his belt, but none came this season. He spent the entire season in the minors for the third time in the past four seasons.

As he enters the latter half of his career, the Michigan native has lost some of the offense he used to provide for minor-league clubs, but he’s remained an effective leader and shutdown presence for Milwaukee. He served as the team’s captain this season, logging a goal and nine assists with a +2 rating in 63 appearances.

A fifth-round pick of the Kings back in 2010, Gravel will miss the beginning of Milwaukee’s Central Division Semifinal series against Texas in the Calder Cup Playoffs, which begins Thursday. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound blue liner is in the final year of a two-year, two-way contract he signed in July 2022 but signed another two-year, two-way extension in January that will keep him with the Preds organization through 2025-26.

Gravel has one game of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt, coming in Game 2 of the Kings’ first-round sweep at the hands of the Golden Knights in 2018. He recorded no shots and a -1 rating in 20:05 of ice time as Los Angeles fell late in double overtime on an Erik Haula goal.

His last NHL action came last season with Nashville when he posted an assist and a -10 rating in 23 appearances. He solely occupied a depth role, averaging under 15 minutes per game with poor possession results (42.3 CF%, 41.4 xGF% at even strength).