Cody Glass Talks 'Roller Coaster' of Injuries, Challenges of Getting Back into the Predators' Lineup

It hasn't been an easy start to the season for Cody Glass. Glass has played just ten of the Predators' 28 games after sustaining two separate injuries. 

"I'm coming back finally, and I'm trying to stay in the lineup for good," Glass said after morning skate. 

Glass's first injury occurred early in the game against the New York Rangers on October 19. The knee injury kept the 24-year-old center out of the lineup for eight games. Glass returned to the ice on November 11 and played four games before a shoulder injury late in the November 20 game against the Avalanche sidelined him for another nine games. 

Glass returned to the lineup for Saturday's game against Toronto, a decision Andrew Brunette made based as much on the schedule as Glass's progress. 

"I think he came into Toronto, and to be fair to him we could've maybe held him out another game or two and let him get some practice time, and we're just in that stretch," Brunette said. 

In a stretch of the season where the Predators are playing every other day with a few back to backs thrown in as well, it's hard to get players back to being game ready in practices alone. 

"We just don't practice right now," Brunette said. "We're just in that stretch. It's just morning skates so you think you get him in, get him a little feeling in Toronto, let him rest up the next night."

It's not easy to feel ready for a game when a player hasn't been practicing with the team. 

"It's a little bit difficult especially if you're not in practice," Glass said of getting back to game speed. "Both times we went on a road trip so I was here by myself just stick handling, skating, doing that stuff with my trainers. There's no game stuff you can do in that situation. It's hard when you're skating by yourself, no one around you, no goalies, so everything feels so much different."