Maple Leafs’ Ondrej Kase Diagnosed With Concussion, Remains Out Indefinitely
With 10 games left in their regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced some disappointing injury news regarding forward Ondrej Kase, who hasn’t played since Mar. 19.
Almost a month later, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed that Kase did suffer a concussion in Nashville against the Predators, which will keep him sidelined for an extended period of time.
Kase, 26, departed that contest after colliding with Predators forward Matt Duchene, who appeared to make contact with his head and neck area. No penalty was assessed to Duchene on the play.
In the end, the Kadan, Czechia, native’s night was finished after logging just 6:22 minutes of ice-time.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Kase has sustained a serious head injury in his career. Throughout his six NHL seasons, he’s yet to complete an entire campaign without suffering an injury of some sort, preventing him from logging more than 66 games in a single year.
Since there’s no timetable for his return, his chances of appearing before the playoffs appear slim at best. If his recovery process stretches into May, it’ll become difficult for him to return at any point in 2022.
Joining Toronto last off-season, Kase signed a one-year, $1.25-million contract that’ll grant him restricted free agent status this summer. The club can retain his rights through next season by offering him a qualifying offer at that exact amount.
In 50 games this year, the right-hander has averaged 13:59 minutes per night, posting a respectable 14 goals and 27 points. He’s also registered 119 shots on goal, 32 blocks, 29 hits and 28 takeaways.
Toronto currently holds the second seed in the Atlantic Division courtesy of its 47-19-6 record and 100 points.
The Maple Leafs will host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, beginning at 7:00 pm ET.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: TheAHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.