Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle suffered a scary injury during practice Wednesday when a teammate’s skate blade cut his leg. Kraken general manager Ron Francis said Eberle received a “deep cut” near his quad muscle, according to the Seattle Times.
Francis said that Kraken winger Jaden Schwartz stepped on a puck, lost his balance and his skate blade came up and cut Eberle. Francis noted that the wound wasn’t “gushing,” but Eberle was taken to the hospital to see whether there was any tendon damage. Eberle will miss some time, but it sounds like the worst-case scenario was avoided.
“I think we dodged a bullet,” Francis said. “But he’s going to be pretty sore tomorrow.”
The Kraken will fill Eberle’s spot in the lineup by calling up Shane Wright, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Wright played in eight games last season, recording one goal and one assist. This season, he has four goals and two assists with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Over the last week, there has been a lot of conversation in the NHL about how to prevent skate blade cuts. On Oct. 28, former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson died after suffering a cut to his neck during a game in England. Since then, the league, the NHLPA and individual players have been exploring their options for extra protection.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said they have been working together to come up with a long-term solution that protects the players without being too restrictive. Meanwhile, players like T.J. Oshie, Claude Giroux and Jake Walman have taken to wearing neck guards during games.
