McDonagh left Friday's game against the New York Islanders after being hit in the face with a puck. He did not return to the game.
The loss of McDonagh comes as the 33 year old defenseman had just settled in to a defensive pairing with Roman Josi. McDonagh, who started the season playing with Mattias Ekholm and then played a handful of games with Jeremy Lauzon, most recently played with Roman Josi on the top pairing since the November 17 game against the New York Islanders. The Josi/McDonagh duo performed well together, and it seemed head coach John Hynes finally found the right spot for the veteran defenseman.
WIth McDonagh out, the Predators have recalled Jordan Gross from the Milwaukee Admirals. This isn't Gross' first trip to Nashville. The 27 year old from Maple Grove, Minnesota joined the Predators in early November and played in three games. His standout performance came against the Vancouver Canucks on November 5 in which Gross scored two goals. Gross has played 13 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and scored 2 goals and 9 assists.
Bringing Gross back to Nashville is the most logical solution to losing McDonagh. Nashville's seventh defenseman Mark Borowiecki remains on IR, and Gross played with Josi in his time with the Preds last month. Recalling Gross is the best solution to a very unfortunate situation for McDonagh and the team.
Gross will have a few extra days in Nashville before hitting the ice for a game as the Predators' next matchup will be Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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