The New Jersey Devils lost more than just the game against the Boston Bruins. After a blatant elbow to the head, Marcus Johansson was diagnosed with a concussion.
The hits just keep on coming for the New Jersey Devils during this terrible stretch to start 2018. Not only is the team losing games, but now it’s losing players.
After putting both Brian Gibbons and Keith Kinkaid on injured reserve earlier in the week, and losing Taylor Hall with a hand injury, the Devils lost both Cory Schneider and Marcus Johansson against the Boston Bruins.
Early reports are not good for Johansson. After Brad Marchand hit him with an elbow that would make a UFC fighter jealous, Johansson immediately went to the locker room.
Famed hockey journalist Bob McKenzie reports that Johansson came out of the incident with a concussion.
Meanwhile, word out of NJ is that Marcus Johansson suffered a concussion from Marchand’s elbow. Johansson missed month of November with a concussion, too. https://t.co/9OPTwzWvNo
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 24, 2018
So that makes the second time that Johansson will miss time with a concussion in the same season. If you don’t remember the first concussion, it was pretty scary.
Johansson was attempting to play a puck behind Brock Boeser against the Vancouver Canucks. When Boeser moved behind the net, Johansson slipped and fell face first into the boards. It was so bad, he couldn’t even put his arms down. The Devils were without their first-year forward for a month after that injury.
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Now, Johansson has his second concussion of the season, third overall. This one feels worse because it came at the hands (or elbow to be exact) of a player with a history.
So here’s why this concussion could be the one to knock Johansson out for the season. He was playing exactly how the Devils expected in the first part of his season. Prior to his first concussion, he scored three goals in ten games. On a 82 game trajectory, he would have scored 25 goals.
Since returning from his concussion, Johansson scored two goals in 19 games. He clearly was not the same player in his return. Now, with a second concussion, he will likely be even more tentative.
Johansson is just 27 years old. He should have a long career ahead of him. If Johansson comes back and God forbid gets a third concussion in the matter of one season, that could put a serious black mark for his future.
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I can see GM Ray Shero shutting down Johansson for what’s best for the player and the future of the team. Beyond that, this injury could force him out for the season without the team having a choice. While his reaction to the hit wasn’t as scary to the one against Vancouver, it’s still a second concussion in a three month span. This is very bad, no matter how you spin it.