The Nashville Predators have activated center Mike Fisher and defenseman Francis Bouillon in time for tonight's game against San Jose, giving the two the chance to make their 2011-2012 debuts:
"I've been skating since August and have been shooting," Fisher said. "Conditioning-wise, I feel ready and strong. I should be good to go ... I just have to build confidence in it. I've been trying to do that in practice but it's different than in a game. It will be good to get in there and see how it feels."
Francis Bouillon, 36, played in 44 games last season but suffered a concussion. He needed more than six months to recover.
"It's going to be an exciting night for me," Bouillon said. "I've been waiting for this night for a long time. I want to be involved and help the team to win. I've come pretty far and it's great to be here."
One has to wonder if Fisher will have some rust to shake off, considering that he hasn't practiced much with the team lately. Bouillon traveled with the Predators on their Western Canada road trip last week, while Fisher stayed home to work out and build up strength in that shoulder. Tonight will mark the first time the two will have played together as teammates, due to the fact that Bouillon's concussion occurred before Fisher joined the Predators via trade last season.
These moves bring Nashville's active roster up to 23 players, with Martin Erat and Roman Josi still listed on IR.