The Winnipeg Jets have announced that rookie sensation Patrik Laine will be out indefinitely with a concussion. Laine suffered the concussion in the third period of Saturday’s meeting between the Jets and the Buffalo Sabres. Laine was skating through the neutral zone and was about to receive a pass from a teammate when Buffalo defenseman Jake McCabe made a monstrous hit. Laine was immediately knocked to the ice and did not get up. McCabe was swarmed by Jets players and a scrum ensued, resulting in McCabe getting cut and leaving to go to the locker room. Medical staff ran out to Laine and tended to him, eventually helping him off the ice.
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After the Game, head coach Paul Maurice had no say on Laine’s status but it was noticed that he made his way on his own to the team bus. Sunday however, after undergoing tests from team doctors, Laine was diagnosed with a concussion. There was no penalty called on the play and there has been no word from the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety regarding an investigation/possible suspension for McCabe. The hit has been deemed as clean. “It’s a hard hit and when you get a collision like that there aren’t the markers of a dirty hit,” Maurice said in an interview with NHL.com. “The elbows aren’t up and they’re not off their feet. They collided and both heads hit, and we had a bad result. It’s an awfully hard hit. Those happen in the games, but it wasn’t dirty.”
Maurice: Laine has a concussion.
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 8, 2017
Laine, the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, has been stellar this season. The 18-year old has scored 21 goals and has tallied 16 assists in 42 games played. This will be Laine’s first game missed this season. The rookie has no timetable for return. The NHL takes concussions very seriously. And depending on the severity of the concussion, Laine could be out anywhere from a week to a month, or even more. Laine is set to begin the recovery process right away. “Tested out last night, see doctors again today,” Maurice added. “So he will start the stages of recovery with that. We’ll wait until the symptoms subside and then you start increasing workload and getting back on the ice.”
Get the full update on Patrik Laine from #NHLJets head coach Paul Maurice. pic.twitter.com/Wo4I2RDVix
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 8, 2017
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