Shea Weber: What His Concussion Means to the Nashville Predators

Reports have been surfacing Tuesday that Nashville's star defender, Shea Weber, is out indefinitely with a concussion after being hit by Dallas player Mark Fistric.

The NHL has been struggling lately with severe concussions, sparked by Sidney Crosby's missed time. Concussions have a variety of severity, and this episode could vary between a few games to dozens of games.

Weber leads the team in points, assists, plus/minus rating and shots on goal, and he's tied for third in goals. The Predators offense will be concussed, along with Weber, until he returns.

Even more so than the offense, Nashville's defense will be on life-support without Weber. The Predators looked lifeless Monday night in a 4-1 loss to Detroit, and Weber was missed greatly on both sides of the ice.

Head coach Barry Trotz and general manager David Poile will get a glimpse of what their team would look like without Weber. Even if he's only out for a few games, this could be the moment that Poile realizes that his team is doomed without Weber and that he cannot let him slip away. 

This could also give Predators forwards a chance to reclaim control of the offense. Many of them are struggling to contribute at a high level, and the gap left by Weber could help them to get back on track.

With Weber's injury, teams will be able to see how great of a player Ryan Suter really is. Teams have been targeting him for a blockbuster trade, but Suter has always been overshadowed by Weber's greatness. Nashville's replacement-captain now has the chance to prove he belongs as a top defender in the league.

The Predators will be jostling for playoff positioning in their next four games; they face Minnesota, St. Louis, Calgary and Dallas. All four teams are ahead of Nashville in the West, and they cannot afford to let their current position slip away.  

Weber is arguably the most valuable player for his team in the NHL right now, and that will show until he can find his way back on the lineup.

These developments on Weber's injury could derail the Predators' playoff chances. But it could also give the rest of the team a chance to improve their game, and it could give management a chance to figure out how valuable Weber really is to their team.