Sven Baertschi Leaves Game with Concussion

Early in the first period, Sven Baertschi took a hit from Predators forward Cody McLeod. Visibly frustrated after returning to the bench, he then left to get looked at. The Canucks announced that Baertschi will be out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.

This hit was completely unnecessary. McLeod had ample time to avoid the collision, but instead he decided to follow through. You can see him essentially “load up” his arm before contacting Baertschi square to the side of his head. Baertschi did not see him coming and he was nowhere near the puck. Knowing the attention lack of attention the Canucks have been given by the Department of Players Safety, it’ll be interesting to see if McLeod receives supplementary discipline. McLeod is 6th in league penalty minutes and has a history with the league.

It’ll be hard to argue that this isn’t a blindside hit. It’s clear that McLeod’s arm makes contact with Baertschi’s head that was faced in the opposite direction. This hit is similar to the Kadri hit on Daniel Sedin, but the motion of “brushing” the body before is much less apparent and more subjective. His arm does hit Baertschi in the head, there’s no doubt about that. The NHL’s definition of a blindside hit is a fine line, so it’ll be up to the league to decide if this falls in the grey area or not. 

This couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Canucks need all the wins they can get if they want to challenge for a playoff spot. Brendan Gaunce was sent down to Utica, but the possibility of a recall does not seem far-fetched. Reid Boucher is also another option, but Willie Desjardins said this morning that they’re putting him on a Tryamkin-like plan to improve his conditioning. Nonetheless, he did mention that he would be an option in case of an injury.

Concussions are serious injuries as we’ve all noticed throughout the years. Calling his status day-to-day might be overly optimistic, but the good news is that it could’ve been much worse. With some concussions, it’s easy to say the player will be out months. This hit is not as forceful as many others, but it still is a concussion. More details will likely be provided tomorrow. The Canucks are just beginning their 11-day road trip, so don’t be surprised if Baertschi leaves and makes his way back to Vancouver.