Keith Ballard Injury: Updates on Wild Star's Status and Return

Minnesota Wild defenseman Keith Ballard was taken to a local hospital after suffering an injury on a scary hit from New York Islanders forward Matt Martin on Tuesday. On Wednesday he was released from the hospital and is out indefinitely. He was placed on injured reserve on December 16.

Continue for Updates.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

Ballard Placed on Injured Reserve

Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has an update on Ballard's status:

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Winger Ryan Carter and defenseman Keith Ballard were placed on injured reserve Monday. The Wild also called up forward Brett Sutter from Iowa of the AHL.

Ballard has been out since suffering a concussion and facial fractures when checked into the boards by New York Islanders winger Matt Martin on Dec. 9. Carter, according to Yeo, suffered an upper-body injury in San Jose against the Sharks and didn’t play Saturday in Arizona.

"

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Ballard Out Indefinitely 

TSN's Darren Dreger provides an update on the health status of Keith Ballard: 

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Ballard Taken to Hospital 

The Minnesota Wild confirmed that Keith Ballard would be taken to the hositpal after a big hit from Matt Martin of the New York Islanders. 

Ballard, 32, was hit after dumping the puck into the Islanders' zone. Despite Ballard getting rid of the puck with seemingly ample time for Martin to slow down, the forward finished his check and drove the Wild defenseman hard into the boards. No penalty was called on Martin for the hit. 

There was a lengthy stoppage as Ballard remained on the ice. He later left under his own power after being attended to by the training staff.

Ballard came into Tuesday night with one point in his first 13 games. In his second season with Minnesota, Ballard is receiving a career-low 12 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time per game. He has seen his play precipitously dip since joining the Wild following a three-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks.

The severity of his injury is unknown at this time. It's very possible that the NHL, which has cracked down on late hits in recent seasons, will take action against Martin.

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