Report: Oilers’ Evan Bouchard played in playoffs with concussion

Players playing through injuries is a common occurrence in the Stanley Cup playoffs; injuries that eventually get revealed to the public once those players’ teams have been knocked out of contention. Some injuries, though, are more alarming than others.

According to Frank Seravelli, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard played at least some of the team’s first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks with a concussion.

It remains unclear as to when Bouchard may have sustained the concussion, or how severe it may have been.

Bouchard, 26, was still productive against Anaheim, even if he was playing through a concussion. The Oakville, Ontario native had a goal and six assists as the Oilers ultimately fell to the Ducks in six games, though his -7 plus/minus rating was second worst on the team.

It seems possible that Bouchard was able to recover from the concussion midway through the series against the Ducks, or at least has fully recovered since, as he is set to represent Canada at the IIHF World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland beginning on May 15th.

The NHL has taken steps to treat head injuries and concussions more seriously over the last decade or so than they had in the past, including the implementation of neutral concussion spotters who can mandate the removal of a player from a game for evaluation in 2016. If Edmonton let Bouchard play in this postseason while knowing he had a concussion, it would be a terrible look for not only the Oilers, but the NHL as a whole for allowing such a breach.

According to Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, forwards Connor McDavid and Jason Dickinson played through injury during these playoffs, as they each fought through fractures to their ankles or feet. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also reportedly played through an injury, though the nature of his injury has not yet been disclosed.