While it doesn’t mean that he’ll be playing Monday versus the Winnipeg Jets, there’s good news coming out of Oil Country as forward Jujhar Khaira is skating with the team at practice. After taking a big hit from from Alexander Romanov of the Montreal Canadiens, there was some concern that Khaira might be done for the season after what looked to be two potential concussions in a short amount of time.
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Some fans are excited about the prospect of getting Khaira back, especially with news that Zack Kassian was injured in the second game against Montreal. He’s a big part of this team on the physical side of things and the two games against Montreal made it clear that playoff hockey is near.
Others aren’t so sure this is the best idea. One Oilers fans on Twitter wrote, “Khiara is skating? You only get one brain, Give him more time.”
Without knowing more, we’ll operate under the assumption that Khaira has been extensively looked at and cleared by the Oilers medical staff to skate. If so, we’ll take that as good news. The concern if the Oilers are rushing him here is that he could do some long-standing and permanent damage if he were to take a hit to the head again. Since a normal collision buckled him to the point he was barely able to come to his senses, there should be a very cautious approach taken here.
Things Change If He Does More Than Just Skate
It’s key to remember too, there’s a big difference between getting out on the ice and skating versus playing. Reports are that Khaira was taking reps with James Neal, Devin Shore and Alex Chiasson. Since he was not a part of the regular rotation of forwards, it’s a good indication that there’s no plan to pop him back into the lineup right away.
Obviously, if he’s slotted in for Monday’s game, the reactions will be polarizing.
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