Flames center Mikael Backlund has suffered a concussion and is likely to miss the remainder of the World Cup of Hockey, according to a report from Expressen’s Henrik Sjoberg and Gunnar Nordstrom (link in Swedish). The injury was reportedly sustained against Finland on a hit from Sami Lepisto; as a result, Backlund missed yesterday’s game against Team North America and was replaced in the lineup by St. Louis center Patrik Berglund.
Backlund has been held pointless in four games with the Swedes including pre-tournament action while playing in a bottom six role. There is no timetable for how long he might miss beyond the possibility of missing Sweden’s remaining games at the World Cup.
While the 27 year old played in all 82 games last season, he is no stranger to being injured as he has missed time due to a broken finger, injuries to the arm, hand, and knee, as well as to his abdominal wall all since 2011-12.
[Related: Team Sweden Depth Chart]
In other injury news:
- Detroit winger Tomas Jurco isn’t expected to play until at least November as he continues to recover from back surgery, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. Jurco struggled with Detroit last season, recording just six points in 44 games while spending time as a scratch. When healthy, he’ll likely battle for a bottom six spot with the Wings.
- In a separate tweet from Khan, Henrik Zetterberg, who withdrew from the World Cup (and was replaced by the now-concussed Backlund) due to a knee injury, will not be participating in team practices or scrimmages for the time being. He will, however, continue to skate on his own. Last week, Zetterberg noted that he expected to be ready for the season opener although his likely level of participation in the exhibition games was unknown.
- The Maple Leafs released their training camp roster and as expected, it was noted that defenseman Stephane Robidas (who is now a consultant for the team) plus forwards Nathan Horton and Joffrey Lupul have all failed their physicals and will start the season on injured reserve. It was reported yesterday that Lupul was heading for the IR while it’s unlikely that Horton will play again due to continuing back issues.
- Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski continues to deal with concussion symptoms, tweets Newsday’s Arthur Staple. He has not been given the green light to do any sort of skating yet so he’ll likely be out for a while although there is no timetable for his possible return. Grabovski has two years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5MM.
- Calgary blueliner Ladislav Smid will not play this season, reports Postmedia’s Kristen Odland. A decision on retirement hasn’t been made and it’s more likely that he will spend the year on LTIR. Smid played in just 22 games last season and suffered a neck injury towards the end of the year.