37-year-old forward, Mike Fisher scored in his first game back after walking away from the game of hockey in August of 2017. Fisher’s first of the year sparked the Nashville Predators as they erased a multiple-goal deficit to win in the third consecutive game for the first time in franchise history.
Fisher was interviewed by the press prior to the game and said. “I know it’s going to take a little bit of time to get my game going, but hopefully it won’t take me too long,” Fisher said Friday afternoon. “There will be nerves. If there are no nerves, there’s probably something wrong.”
Mike Fisher‘s Return to the Nashville Predators
He returned to play on Friday. Scoring and helping the team to overcome a deficit. His goal brought the Predators within one heading into the third period.
Fisher, a veteran centre, has the ideal qualities of a bottom-six player, a position he now can play with the enviable balance that the Predators possess at the middle of the ice. Ryan Johansen, Kyle Turris, and Nick Bonino slotted ahead of Fisher on Friday. The Predators depth chart may be the strongest in their team’s history.
When asked about his gameplay after the win against the Vancouver Canucks, Fisher said, “It was fun getting back out there and getting some shifts out of the way, this team played a solid game. We felt like we played pretty good once we got the first 10 minutes out of the way and guys just never gave up. We felt like we always had a chance and that was a fun game.”
Problems with his return
But as much as many fans are happy to see Fisher back, there is a problem? How will he fit in? More importantly, who will he take a minute from, it is almost certain though that he’ll take minutes from a younger player, whether it be Colton Sissons, Austin Watson, Calle Jarnkrok now or Eeli Tolvanen later.
He is an older player. Although he has started strong, and played well last season with 18 goals and 42 points in 72 regular-season games and a 54.9 faceoff win percentage last season many ask how long Fisher’s will be able to stay and what that means for the team. Will the Predators leave a younger player in the press box to make room for Fisher? Will this disrupt the club?
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