From today’s practice at Centennial Sportsplex, Josh Cooper brings the word we’ve all been dreading since Friday night’s game at Colorado:
#preds say Josi has a concussion
— JoshuaCooper (@JoshuaCooper) October 6, 2013
Roman Josi was steamrolled by Colorado’s Steve Downie, on a high, hard hit as he turned up-ice in the defensive zone. The NHL decided not to apply any supplemental discipline on the play, which, frankly, is all-too-typical when it comes to Predators players getting run. Since the 2005-6 season, only two players have ever been suspended by the league for violent incidents against the Preds; Bobby Ryan in 2011 playoffs when he stomped Jonathon Blum’s foot with his skate, and the 2012 playoffs when Rostislav Klesla boarded Matt Halischuk. Big-market teams like the Rangers, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Flyers seem to get much more protection (the details are right here).
Well, at least we know the NHL Front Office watches the playoffs.
With concussions, the recovery timetable is quite uncertain, given the increased awareness of their potential long-term severity. Personally, I wouldn’t expect to see him in any of the five home games coming up over the next two weeks.
Defense Depth To Be Tested
In the meantime, the Predators do have six other defensemen on the Active Roster, and in the later stages Friday night we did see the oft-hyped Shea Weber/Seth Jones combo. Ryan Ellis has yet to dress in the team’s first two games, and will presumably get his chance in the home opener on Tuesday against Minnesota.
After that, however, there’s nobody down in Milwaukee that screams “call-up”. Veteran Joe Piskula does have 10 games of NHL experience with the Kings & Flames from previous years, and at 29 has the most experience of the bunch.
More from On the Forecheck:
- The Nashville Predators’ Greatest Hits
- Report: No NHL Hearing for Steve Downie/Roman Josi Hit
- Colorado Avalanche 3, Nashville Predators 1: A New Rivalry Is Born
- Roman Josi Injury: High Hit by Steve Downie Takes Out Nashville Predators Defenseman
- The NHL Business Model: Why Opponents of Fighting Should Suck It up, Hold Their Noses/