The Winnipeg Jets announced that Dustin Byfuglien is out with a concussion and is now on injured reserve (IR) following their win against the Chicago Blackhawks.
#NHLJets HC Paul Maurice says D Dustin Byfuglien has been diagnosed with a concussion and he will be placed on IR
— Ken Wiebe (@WiebeSunSports) November 30, 2018
This announcement should come with little surprise to those who were watching the game on Tuesday night and saw Byfuglien struggle to the bench after he hit Jamie Oleksiak and fell to the ice. It took both Joe Morrow and Ben Chiarot to get him onto the bench. Worse yet, the Jets did not even pull him for testing until the NHL’s concussion spotters told them too.
It is clear that the NHL’s concussion protocol is not working. As Justin Blades, the managing editor of Habs Eyes on the Prize pointed out, there are a lot of players who get pulled for concussion testing minutes after a hit and are cleared to return to the game, but are announced to have a concussion in the following days. If there cannot be a conclusive test given during the game, the NHL has to re-write its protocol again to reflect this issue. If a player is involved in a collision that leaves them looking dazed, confused, and needing help off the ice should be pulled from the game.
The Jets are now without Byfuglien for at least a week and will have their defence of Sami Niku and Cameron Schilling back in action on Saturday.
