It’s been several weeks since Ondrej Kase was in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, and today, finally, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed to reporters including Mark Masters of TSN that the forward is dealing with a concussion. Kase left a game on March 19 against the Nashville Predators after colliding with Matt Duchene at center ice, needing help to get to the room.
While it certainly isn’t surprising, given the way he reacted to the contact, it is concerning for the 26-year-old forward. Kase has dealt with multiple head injuries throughout his career, a journey detailed by James Mirtle of The Athletic last month, just a few weeks before he suffered this latest concussion. The first incident was in the minors, as a 19-year-old in his third game in North America, the latest–which Mirtle speculates could be a number into the double digits–coming in his 257th NHL regular season game.
With no timeline for his return, it appears as though this comeback season for Kase might end in the same way so many of his others have. When healthy, he had been so excellent for the Maple Leafs, providing energy and scoring depth for a low cost. In 50 games, he has 14 goals and 27 points, while averaging 14 minutes a night.
Now, it’s completely unclear what lies ahead. The Maple Leafs can retain Kase’s rights as a restricted free agent with a $1.25MM qualifying offer, though that would open up the possibility of arbitration. With a relatively flat salary cap, young players pushing for promotions in the organization, and now another head injury, it’s hard to see Toronto–or anyone else really–committing to more than just a one-year deal for the Czech forward.
That’s another disappointing result, given how incredible it is that Kase has even made it this far. Selected 205th overall in 2014, he was in the NHL just two years later with the Anaheim Ducks and actually sits 27th in scoring for his entire draft class. That’s well ahead of players selected in the first round, including a pair of top-ten picks. Hopefully, after some time, he’ll be symptom-free from this latest concussion, whether that results in a return to the ice or not.