One quarter of the way through the season, the Predators’ expected top defensive pairing — Roman Josi and Nic Hague — has been on the ice together for exactly zero minutes and zero seconds.

But that appears likely to change soon, potentially as early as Saturday, when the Predators take on Colorado at 7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena.

Josi, who has missed the last 12 games with an upper-body injury, has resumed practicing with the team and could return from injured reserve to play against the Avalanche.

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but we’ll see the next couple of days,” Josi said Thursday. “[It’s been good] just getting back to two practices with the team and so we’ll see how I feel. We’ll probably talk today and [Friday].”

That’s encouraging news for the Preds, who have gone 3-7-2 without Josi — the team captain and a former Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman — in the lineup.

When the Predators traded for Hague before the season, the thought was that the 6-6, 245-pound stay-at-home defenseman would be a natural complement to the creative Josi, an offensive-minded blueliner who has topped 50 points in eight of his 15 seasons.

The two were paired together at the start of training camp until Hague suffered an upper-body injury in a Sept. 21 preseason game, one that would force him to miss the remainder of camp as well as the first eight games of the regular season.

“He’s so good defensively, and he ends [opponents’] plays really well,” Josi said of Hague. “I think we complement each other really well. He’s that big presence in the `D’ zone, which I think frees me up, helps me jump up in the play. He’s good with the puck, smart, with a really good first pass.”

Just one game before Hague returned from his injury, it was Josi who was hurt blocking a shot Oct. 23, once again delaying the regular season debut of the two together.

“We’ve had kind of bad luck, if you will,” Hague said. “We almost kind of laughed about the way everything went. But it looks like [playing together] is kind of on the horizon now.

“It’s definitely exciting. He’s obviously a huge part of this team, a leader in the room, on the ice. He does it all. It’s a good boost for our group.”

Josi and Hague skated as a pair Wednesday and Thursday, the Preds’ first two practices since splitting two games with Pittsburgh in Stockholm, Sweden.

The other defensive pairings included Brady Skjei-Nick Perbix, Adam Wilsby-Justin Barron and Spencer Stastney-Nick Blankenburg.

It would seem that when Josi returns, the Stastney and Blankeburg duo would be inactive.

“I think [Josi’s return] kind of slots everybody else in the batting order,” said Predators coach Andrew Brunette, who was uncertain when Josi would return to the lineup.

“The kids have done a great job … But they’re not Roman … We’re asking a lot of [Wilsby, Stastney and Barron] to go against the best players in the world as young players just starting in the league. So [Josi] comes in and solidifies the order a little.”