Predators D Weber out 3-6 weeks with knee injury

Oct 5, 2007 - 10:24 PM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Nashville Predators won their season opener Thursday but suffered a major loss in the process.

Coming off their 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, the Predators on Friday announced defenseman Shea Weber will miss three to six weeks with a dislocated kneecap.

Projected to be Nashville's top blue-liner this season following the departure of Kimmo Timonen over the summer, Weber suffered the injury early in the first period of Thursday's game, when his skate became stuck in the ice as he fell awkwardly. The 22-year-old saw just 2 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time on four shifts before leaving.

Despite the length of the prognosis, Predators coach Barry Trotz was relieved it was not more.

"We were very fearful he had seriously hurt himself, so three to six weeks is good news from our end," Trotz told Nashville's website. "It's a little bit of a blow, but one thing we really pride ourselves on is that we are really deep on defense. We have a lot of capable guys that can step in."

A second-round pick in 2003, Weber made his NHL debut in 2005-06, recording two goals and eight assists in 28 games. The native of British Columbia emerged as an offensive threat last season, registering 17 tallies and 40 points in 79 contests.