Oilers defenceman injured by taking puck to the head

Early on in the first period of today's Oilers game, defenceman Brett Kulak was knocked out of the game when he took a puck to the head.

On the first shift of the game, Kulak was battling for position in front of the Oilers net and took a puck to the head. Unfortunately it wasn't caught directly by the broadcast, but several reporters noted Kulak left for the dressing room immediately and did not return for the rest of the period.




If Kulak isn't able to return, the Oilers will play the rest of this game at a significant disadvantage with depleted depth. New defender Troy Stecher, who has looked very promising in his limited time with the team, may be asked to take on a larger role down the stretch run into the playoffs with Kulak out of commission. As the current seventh defenceman, Stecher got into this game as Cody Ceci was unavailable due to illness. If Kulak is out for a while, Stecher would then have an opportunity to continue to impress with his play, and perhaps even earn his way into the playoff lineup.

Hopefully Kulak is able to return to the game later on, or is able to quickly recover and come back from whatever injury he sustained. With a puck to the head, a concussion comes to mind as the most worrisome and unpredictable injury. Thankfully, the Oilers will still be in a great position for depth because of the addition of Stecher.