Chicago Blackhawks Showed Poor Judgement in Handling Marcus Kruger's Concussion

The Chicago Blackhawks made a foolhardy decision in putting Marcus Kruger back on the ice Monday. It was an irresponsible roll of the dice that may have serious repercussions on the rookie forward's long-term health.

It might be time to re-evaluate how concussed players are handled by the 'Hawks.

Kruger was injured last Tuesday on an illegal hit to the head by Deryk Engelland in the first period of Chicago's game in Pittsburgh.

Was Kruger taken to the quiet room that players are supposed to visit following such a hit to the head? I don't remember it being mentioned by the team, though in fairness I have to assume that happened, right?

I do know what happened in the aftermath of the hit. Kruger was on the 'Hawks bench in the second period and was called into action on at least one occasion. Kruger never left the bench, prompting the team to think something wasn't kosher with the 21-year-old center.

Here's what Joel Quenneville told ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers after the game:

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"He was on the bench in the second and had a couple times I called (for him). He didn't end up getting out there," coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. "Kruger is doing OK now. We'll see (Wednesday). We'll have a better idea on how he's doing."

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Kruger was diagnosed with a concussion soon after. This was announced not by the team, but by Brenden Shanahan as he was handing down the three-game suspension of Engelland. Brandon Pirri came up from Rockford and recorded an assist in Chicago's 5-1 win over Montreal.

At that point, I figured that Pirri would be with the team for a week or two while Kruger recovered. Instead, Pirri was sent down Thursday morning. He was recalled Monday after the morning skate.

There was the red flag waving for all of us to see. Kruger said he felt fine and the team cleared him to play after missing just a single game, yet Pirri was recalled anyway. Pirri even skated in Kruger's regular spot on the second line.

If Kruger is O.K., why bring him back so tentatively? If Pirri is in the lineup, why bring him back at all?

Skating on the fourth line against the Blue Jackets, Kruger was subject to a lot of physical play. He took a big hit from Aaron Johnson early and got in an altercation with Rick Nash between the benches, in which Nash punched Kruger in the head, albeit with his gloves on.

Kruger skated over 14 minutes in the 4-1 Chicago win, but did not skate in Tuesday's practice. Pirri is still up with the team, and Kruger now has an 'upper-body injury'. Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times reported that Kruger is experiencing concussion-like symptoms.

Hopefully Kruger will get the time needed to make a full recovery. You have to have faith in the 'Hawks medical staff. Of course, that same staff that let Brent Seabrook right back on the ice after taking a hit from Raffi Torres last spring.

Just under a year ago, Sidney Crosby was put back into action to take another hit to the head. In the wake of that well-documented case, Chicago might well have exercised caution with a player they expect to be a big contributor to the organization.

The signs were all there. With Pirri up with the team, there obviously was doubt on the Blackhawks end. Still, the team rushed him back.

"It's hard to say," Quenneville said to the Chicago Tribune's Chris Kuc about the hits Kruger absorbed in the Columbus game. "I don't know if there was a defining blow or not."

Perhaps the defining blow was letting Kruger back on the ice so soon.