Still two weeks away from their season opener, the Predators are already dealing with a significant injury.

But there’s some encouraging news on the medical front as well.

Nashville defenseman Nicolas Hague is expected to miss the next four to six weeks after suffering an upper-body injury in last Sunday’s 5-3 preseason win over Florida.

It’s a big blow for the Predators, as Hague was the team’s most noteworthy offseason addition, acquired via trade from Vegas — along with a conditional third-round draft pick — in exchange for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

The Preds then signed the 6-6, 245-pound Hague to a four-year, $22 million deal, expecting the Stanley Cup winner to provide a physical presence on the blueline.

In training camp, the Predators had used Hague on the top defensive pairing, manning the left side and complementing the offensive-minded Roman Josi.

“Obviously, it’s a big loss here early,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought he played exceptionally well [in camp]. It was good to see him on our team, the size and the reach and all the things he brings. He had pretty good chemistry in the short time with [Josi] I thought. [But that’s] part of the game. It’s an opportunity.”

The first opportunity to replace Hague might go to another one of the Preds’ offseason additions, Nick Perbix.

Signed as a free agent, the 6-4, 206-pound Perbix is, like Hague, more of a stay-at-home defenseman, the kind of player that would allow Josi the freedom to roam and create offensively.

But other defensemen will have to step up as well if the Preds go that route, as Perbix has been playing alongside Brady Skjei.

Other possibilities to fill Hague’s spot could include Justin Barron, Adam Wilsby or Nick Blankenburg.

“We have to decide if we want to move some things around here,” Brunette said. “The only bright part of it all is that [the Hague injury] happened early in camp and hopefully we don’t miss him for too long.”

Speaking of injury, the good news on that front is that Predators prospect defenseman Tanner Molendyk — one of Nashville’s two first-round draft picks in 2023 — returned to practice on Wednesday.

The 6-0, 190-pound Molendyk had missed rookie camp and the first week of training camp with a lower-body injury.

Considered one of the organization’s top prospects, Molendyk might benefit from Hague’s absence. The 20-year-old has never played in an NHL game, so he obviously wouldn’t be paired with Josi. But if he’s able to make up for lost time in training camp, Molendyk could still crack the opening night roster as a sixth or seventh defenseman.

“He has an opportunity,” Brunette said. “It’s too bad he missed … a week of our camp. But he’s got some opportunities here [in preseason games] this weekend, and hopefully he gets through the test if he plays [in the team’s intrasquad scrimmage in Clarksville on Thursday].

“That will kind of dictate if he’s even in the competition, or healthy enough to be a part of it. We’re hoping he is.”

Molendyk, who totaled 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 18 playoff games in the Canadian Hockey League last season, says he’s got to play “catch up” now in his efforts to show improvements he made over the summer.

“I got a lot stronger everywhere,” Molendyk said. “Mentally you have to be prepared for [injuries]. But what happened happened and I kind of moved on. But … on the ice, I feel like I got stronger, harder on pucks and better [overall] in my game.”