Shea Weber Officially Returning to the Lineup
According to Tom Callahan of NashvillePredators.com, via Twitter, Weber will play tonight. The Preds captain was cleared by doctors earlier today and should line up on the top unit with Ryan Suter. For the team’s full lines, click here.
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UPDATE 1/4/12: It looks like Shea Weber may be out of the woods.
According to Ryan Porth of Smashville 24/7, Weber has practiced each of the last two days with contact. Additionally, Weber has not been ruled out of playing tomorrow. From Smashville 24/7:
“There’s no timeframe,” Trotz reiterated after today’s practice. But when asked if Weber could possibly suit up tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars, Trotz said, “I don’t think anything is out of the question.”
Trotz mentioned that Weber needs to get cleared before playing, and that the decision of when the captain returns to the lineup is up to Weber and the doctors.
We should have an update tomorrow before game time. While getting the team’s captain back in the lineup would certainly be a boon to their system, Weber should not be rushed.
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UPDATE 12/27/11: This afternoon, the Nashville Predators finally announced, via Twitter, that Shea Weber has a concussion. Ryan Porth of Smashville 24/7, via Twitter, explained that Weber did not take the ice this morning. Porth would later report that although there is no timetable for his return coach Barry Trotz is hopeful that Weber can play this Friday.
At the very least, Weber will miss tomorrow night’s tilt. Stay tuned for a further update on our top-ranked defenseman.
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UPDATE 12/26/11: According to Ryan Porth of Smashville 24/7, via Twitter, Weber did not warm up for tonight’s game.
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Things do not look good for the Nashville Predators blue line. This morning, it was announced that top-4 d-man Kevin Klein would not be ready to play tonight. Shortly after, team captain Shea Weber left the ice early.
Considering Weber never returned to the ice, there is cause for concern. According to Josh Cooper of The Tennessean, Weber rarely, if ever, takes a maintenance day. From Predators Insider:
First, and most important, Shea Weber left the morning skate early. This rarely happens. In fact, I’ve never seen it happen. Weber was hit hard at the end of Friday’s game against Dallas, but he did speak to the media following the game.
After practice, we asked Coach Barry Trotz about Weber’s situation, and he said he hadn’t spoken yet with his trainers.
All reports out of Nashville actually remain mum on Weber’s status. The injury likely stems from this hard hit from Mark Fistric.
Nevertheless, the team did recall top prospect Ryan Ellis with the intention of using him tonight. My guess would be Weber stays out of the lineup and Ellis at most top-four minutes.