4 Ryan Ellis D

Ellis posted an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in a 3-2 loss to the Stars in Wednesday's Game 1.

Ellis recorded 41 points in 82 regular season games and is off to a positive start despite the Predators being behind 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. As a top-pairing defenseman who averaged 24:01 per game this year, Ellis will likely make a positive impact for fantasy owners during the playoffs.

Ellis scored his team's lone goal in Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Penguins.

Ellis' game-tying marker with 3:01 left in regulation earned his team a point in the standings and also earned him a new personal best in points for a season at 39. Staying healthy has been the key to Ellis' success, as he'd likely be the owner of multiple 40-point campaigns by now if not for injuries. Just last season, he recorded only seven fewer points in 31 fewer appearances. In 2018-19, the blueliner has dressed for all 75 of his team's games thus far, so his chances of finally cracking 40 points look good with seven games left on Nashville's schedule.

Ellis tied his career high in points (38) with an assist in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Maple Leafs.

Ellis has been a rock-solid presence on the Preds' blue line this season. Not only is he just two points away from the 40-point plateau, he has also set new career highs in average ice time (24:08), assists (32), blocked shots (142) and hits (65). He continues to line up opposite Roman Josi on the team's first defensive pairing, giving him significant fantasy value in all formats. Keep deploying him on a nightly basis and enjoy the rewards.

Ellis assisted on two tallies in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Jets.

The minutes-munching defenseman made the most of his time in this contest, even if it wasn't enough to help the Predators. Ellis had gone through a mini-slump, going pointless over the three previous games. He's at 35 points in 67 games this season, just three points shy of his career high from 2016-17. He's also been credited with 127 blocked shots and 128 shots on goal, which boosts his value in formats using those categories.

Ellis recorded three assists and a plus-4 rating in a 5-3 victory against the Stars on Tuesday.

Coming into the night, Ellis was sitting with 23 assists, which was tied for his career-best mark. He blew that out of the water with three helpers Tuesday, and there's still 20 games to go. While Ellis possesses a 5.2 shooting percentage, which is two ticks below his career norm, he still has a shot at a new career high in points because of all his assists. He has six goals and 32 points with a plus-20 rating in 62 contests.

Ellis recorded his 23rd assist of the season in Thursday's 3-1 win over Montreal.

With 29 points in 60 games, Ellis is 10 points away from setting a new career high for points in a season. The top-pairing defenseman led the penalty-killing attack Thursday as well, logging a team-high 3:47 of ice time with his team down a man.

Ellis had a goal and an assist on four shots along with a plus-4 rating in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Coyotes.

Ellis continues to excel on the Preds' top defensive pairing opposite Roman Josi. He is averaging 24:29 in ice time -- the most of his career -- and now has 26 points in 55 games, putting him on pace for a career-best 40 point season. The Preds are known for their deep and talented blue line, and Ellis is one of the reasons why. You want to own this guy.

Ellis notched an empty-net goal in Monday's 4-1 win over the Avalanche, giving him seven points in his last 12 games.

Ellis continues to see monster ice time, averaging just under 25 minutes per game on the Preds' second defensive pairing opposite Mattias Ekholm. Now with 23 points in 51 games, he has a good chance of hitting the 40-point mark for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old blueliner makes for a good second-tier fantasy option in most formats.

Ellis scored his fourth goal and 17th point of the season in Monday's 6-3 win over the Capitals.

Ellis has been promoted to the Preds' top defensive pairing alongside Roman Josi this season, and is currently averaging the most ice time of his career (24:56, including 3:05 on the power play). Although his points-per-game pace is down from last year (0.43 vs. 0.73), he is still on track to surpass the 30-point plateau for the fourth consecutive season. He may not be an elite scoring defenseman (yet), but consistency is everything in fantasy, and Ellis delivers that in spades.

Ellis recorded an assist on two shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Flyers. He also chipped in a pair of penalty minutes and a blocked shot in 27:02 of ice time.

With P.K. Subban still on the IR with an upper-body injury, the Preds have been leaning on Ellis to play heavy minutes as part of their second defensive pairing. Offensively, however, Ellis has taken a step back from the 32 points he posted in just 44 games last season. Now with just 16 points through 36 games, he will likely not crack the 40-point plateau this season as many fantasy owners had been hoping. He still remains a solid play most nights given his elevated minutes, but he's still not quite the elite point producer we thought he might turn into this season.

Ellis finished with a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Arizona.

The Predators' defenseman logged a team-high 24:45 of ice time, also leading his team in power-play time with 2:34. While the stocky blueliner failed to find the scoresheet's money columns Thursday evening, he did record a shot on goal and blocked two shots. On the season, the 5-foot-10 defenseman has a goal and 12 points in 26 games.

Ellis snapped a five-game pointless streak with a pair of assists -- one at even strength, the other on the power play -- in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Kings.

Although he's not producing at the same frantic pace as last season, when he returned to the lineup in January following knee surgery and proceeded to record 32 points in just 44 games, Ellis does have 10 helpers through 20 games this season putting him on pace to surpass the career-high 38 point total he notched two seasons ago. He continues to skate on the Preds' first defensive pairing opposite Roman Josi, averaging a healthy 24:44 in ice timer per game, including 3:11 on the power play. His scoring may continue to come in fits and starts, but Ellis has too prominent a role in the Preds' lineup to sit him. Stick with him during his cold spells, and you should be rewarded in the end.

Ellis recorded an assist for the second straight game in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Bruins.

Ellis has yet to score a goal this season, but he does have eight assists in 14 contests, which puts him on pace for roughly a 45-point season. Ellis continues to benefit from playing opposite Roman Josi on the Preds' first defensive pairing, giving him fantasy relevance in almost all formats.

Ellis recorded one assist in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Sharks.

Without a goal in 2018-19, Ellis continues to rack up assists at a modest rate and now has six in nine games. He led Nashville with 4:23 of power-play time Tuesday and continues to be an offensive catalyst for the Predators despite not having any goals to show for it.

Ellis skated a season-high 26:27 (including 4:03 on the power play) in Saturday's 3-0 shutout win over the Oilers.

Although he didn't factor into the scoring, Ellis still has a respectable five points (all assists) in eight games to start the season. He will continue to see plenty of scoring chances skating opposite Roman Josi, both at even strength and on the power play.

Ellis notched his second consecutive assist in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Islanders.

Ellis missed the first three months of last season after undergoing knee surgery, but he was the Preds' most productive defenseman during the second half, notching 32 points in just 44 games -- a 60-point pace over a full season. While that is probably unsustainable, Ellis is certainly surrounded with enough elite-level talent that you should be able to count on him for 40-plus easily, with plenty of upside.

Ellis signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension with the Predators on Tuesday, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean reports.

Ellis has been a consistent two-way presence for the Preds ever since he emerged as a full-timer in the 2013-14 campaign. The team's 11th overall selection from the 2009 draft accumulated 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) over 44 regular-season games to complement an immaculate plus-26 rating last year. As the type of player who will do anything for his team, Ellis has also accrued 302 hits and 558 blocked shots over 396 career contests. Factor in how the Predators have been a playoff team in four straight years and you're looking at a legit No. 1 fantasy option from the blue line.

Ellis' camp is actively involved in contract negotiations with the Predators regarding an extension, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Predators GM David Poile added, "Ryan just got married, so we'd like to give him a gift." Ellis' presence in Nashville over the past seven years has been a present for the Western Conference club. The industrious two-way rearguard has accumulated 55 goals, 118 assists and a plus-76 rating to complement heavy defensive totals -- including a plus-76 rating, 302 hits and 558 blocked shots -- over 396 career NHL contests. An alternate captain, Ellis will certainly command a big payday after securing $2.5 million AAV over a five-year deal that he procured in October of 2014.

Ellis wishes to play out the rest of his career in Nashville, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

The two-way defenseman has one year left on a five-year, $12.5 million contract. A robust shooting percentage (8.2) from the regular season resulted in nine goals for Ellis, plus he set up 23 more through 44 games of an injury-shortened campaign. The sixth-year skater was unable to find the back of the net in the playoffs, though he did garner five helpers. At 27 years old, Ellis should have plenty of hockey left in him and if he stays in Smashville, then expect him to log around 23.5 minutes per contest.

Ellis recorded an assist, two shots on goal, and five blocked shots in Sunday's Game 2 win against Winnipeg.

Ellis has now picked up an assist in three consecutive games, giving him a total of five through eight postseason contests. A key component of Nashville's talented defensive corps, Ellis has averaged over 25 minutes of time on ice during the playoffs, with 2:24 of that ice coming on the power play.