Feb 3, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) clears the puck against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
With all the disappointments of the 2024-25 season, the Nashville Predators were in need of some good news as they opened training camp and began turning the page to 2025-26.
It came in the form of a positive report on team captain Roman Josi, who was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) last season.
The fact that the 35-year-old left-shot defenseman was present for the Preds’ first practice on Thursday was a plus in and of itself. During his media availability, Josi’s update on his health gave the team and its fans cause for optimism.
“I feel good,” Josi told reporters after Thursday's practice. “I’ve been skating for a while now. Even after the season, I started skating pretty soon, and even before camp practicing in full. (Thursday’s practice) was good. It was hard, but it was a good day.”
Josi suffered a concussion during a Feb. 25 game against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers Feb. 25 and missed the final 25 games of the season. As his recovery dragged on, he knew something wasn’t right and began looking into it.
“It just got to a point where it got worse and worse,” he explained. “That’s where I figured it out and… this was a really good thing for me to get some clarity. I think as a player, you start self diagnosing a lot. Having some clarity and having a plan going forward is huge to me.”
POTS is a condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal when transitioning from sitting or lying down to standing up. Olympic gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky also was also diagnosed with POTS, but continues to compete.
Josi had been dealing with POTS symptoms even before his injury including headaches, elevated heart rate and dizziness. Once doctors discovered his condition, he began formulating a plan. He changed his diet and is making an effort to get more sleep.
Josi recorded 38 points (9-29-38) in 53 games for the Predators last season. While there were many things that went wrong for the team, losing their captain for that long stretch was like the final nail in the coffin.
“He’s our captain, our best player,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday. “Missing him for a substantial amount of time last year obviously isn’t a good thing. So, it’s great to see him healthy, number one; forget about the hockey part. I think he battled through that last year. I think he hung in there. Obviously, he’s got a lot of pride in this organization, he didn’t want to let (his teammates) down.”
Now that he has medication and other tools to help manage his condition, Josi is confident he can return to form this season.
“There’s some triggers, some times where I might feel symptoms a little bit,” Josi said. “Having the tools to manage it a lot better now is huge for me, and it makes a world of difference. I’m definitely back to 100 percent and feeling really good on the ice.”
Of course, one training camp practice is too small a sample size to determine what Josi’s role will be moving forward. Will he have to manage his workload and get less ice time than the approximate 25 minutes a night he’s been used to getting in previous years? Can he come anywhere close to the 85-point production of the 2023-24 season?
It seems unrealistic to think Josi can play an 82-game schedule like he did that season; in fact, it’s highly unlikely. Training camp will go a long way toward answering the many questions that remain. But having him back for any length of time will be a boost for the Predators.
“To see him back on the ice, for me, and I think for every Nashville Predator fan or anybody in the organization is a big deal," Brunette said.