Jim Diamond of the Nashville Predators Examiner brings grim news this morning:

Cyberpresse's Richard Labbe caught up with Nashville Predators defenseman Francis Bouillon at a charity golf tournament. Bouillon told Labbe that after working out for the last few weeks, the symptoms of his post-concussion syndrome have returned and he has had to discontinue his workouts as a result.

A translated version of the article can be found here.

This was one of the risk factors I discussed yesterday when wondering if "Predators Hockey" can really win a Stanley Cup. With Shane O`Brien off to Colorado, and Cody Franson shipped to Toronto, as of right now the Preds have only 3 defensemen with significant NHL experience that they can count on for the beginning of the season.

UPDATE: Doh! I forgot about Brett Lebda, thanks Dave. That doesn't allay my fears, however! 

It's possible (and we all hope) that Bouillon gets back on the right track and is ready to go in September, but as we know with concussions, uncertainty is the name of the game. And even if he's fit for action, will he still be able to play the hard-working physical style to which we're accustomed? With all the kids being talked about this summer, I'm sure The Cube is slotted for a lot of PK and shutdown work, so as to let the rookies play softer minutes.

Francis Bouillon

#51 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-8

Weight: 198

Born: Oct 17, 1975