The news of Shea Weber being diagnosed with a concussion got the hockey world to feel terrible about head injuries all over again yesterday. Weber has been out of action since being hit by Mark Fistric last Friday, but there’s a chance he won’t be out of action very long.
Predators coach Barry Trotz said that there’s a chance Weber could play on Friday night against St. Louis but you can’t help but feel that that might be a bad idea.
Yes, the Predators obviously missed Weber’s presence against Detroit on Monday night and if one game was a sufficient sample size it showed how much he means to the team. A guy of his size and with how he plays, however, not giving him a bit more time to recover from a concussion, no matter how slight it may be, can’t be a bad thing.
Getting Weber back on the ice is key to the success of the Predators, but having him out there to potentially get dinged again and put out of action even longer is a huge risk for both player and team.
Erring on the side of caution with concussions is never a bad thing, we suggested the same care for Claude Giroux a couple weeks ago, but Weber’s abilities make his situation more daunting. Giroux isn’t a physical force on the ice the way Weber is.
Different guys handle concussions differently, we just hope Weber’s speedy recovery is thanks to him being healthy and not him putting his health at risk for the team.
