Predators Place William Trudeau On IR

Although he played against the team he idolized growing up, defenseman William Trudeau’s game against the Montreal Canadiens ended on a sour note. The Nashville Predators announced they placed Trudeau on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He’s expected to miss the next few weeks.

It’s unknown what exactly caused Trudeau’s upper-body ailment. He left yesterday’s game after the first period, finishing with blanks next to his name on the scoresheet after playing in 4:39 of action. This season, the rookie blue liner has gone scoreless in his first three contests.

Despite playing for the Predators, the Varennes, QC, native was actually drafted by the Canadiens in 2021. Although he spent several years with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, Trudeau never suited up for the Canadiens. Montreal traded him to the New York Rangers this past summer for Brett Berard. A few months later, during training camp, the Predators claimed Trudeau off waivers from the Rangers.

Still, throughout his time in the AHL, Trudeau was a quietly productive defenseman. From 2022 to 2026, Trudeau scored 28 goals and 90 points in 260 games with a +19 rating, all with the Rocket. During Laval’s run to the Eastern Conference Final in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, Trudeau registered three assists in eight postseason contests.

Although they’d obviously like to avoid injury, Trudeau’s injury solves Nashville’s glut of defensemen on the active roster for now. Before Trudeau’s injury, the Predators had eight defensemen rostered and typically played seven a night. Now, with Trudeau on the injured reserve, Nashville can switch to a standard 12F-6D approach, giving some of their forwards new opportunities.