Adam Vingan | The Tennessean

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean

LAS VEGAS — Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis made his season debut Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Ellis required most of the season’s first half to complete his long-term recovery from offseason knee surgery.

"I think anyone taking six months off the ice is going to have some rust (in) their game," Ellis said. "I think for me, just keep it simple, do my part to make the team successful and hopefully that in turn makes myself successful."

View | 69 Photos

Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis

Nashville rarely has had its four top defensemen healthy and in the lineup at the same time. Ellis' debut Tuesday was the 49th regular-season game of a possible 121 in which he, Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm all have been active.

Against the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights, Predators coach Peter Laviolette paired Ellis with Josi, his most frequent partner last season.

"The conversation was pretty simple, that we were going to get him involved in the game, probably not to the workload that you'll see possibly in a week or 10 days, but we will get him into minutes," Laviolette said of how he will approach Ellis' first game since the concluding game of the Stanley Cup Final on June 11, 2016. "The last part of the conversation was if anything changes on his end or our end, let's communicate."

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

The Predators’ defense didn’t experience a drop-off in production without Ellis, who established career highs in goals (16) and points (38) last season. They have a combined 93 points from defensemen, maintaining their customary place among the league leaders in that category.

"Watching the team, it's tough," Ellis said. "They look (like) they're having so much fun. They're obviously doing so well, and to be on the sidelines (for) that, it's part of the mental game as well. It is what it is, and hopefully I can get right back in there and help this team win."

With forward Filip Forsberg on injured reserve with an unspecified upper-body injury, the Predators didn’t have to remove a player from their roster in order to activate Ellis. Predators general manager David Poile said last week that he wants to keep eight defensemen as insurance in case Ellis experiences a setback.

The Predators said Tuesday morning that they will provide a more detailed update regarding Forsberg's status Wednesday.