Update on Khaira, who left game on a stretcher, has fans worried

I’m sorry to bring up that scene again, but on Tuesday came an update on Chicago Blackhawks’ Jujhar Khaira. Last week, he was rushed to the hospital after getting hit by New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba.

The 27-year-old was caught with his head down as he gathered in the puck in the second period : as he looked up, he was met by Trouba who drove into him with a massive hit. Unfortunately for Khaira, the hit caught him off guard and as he fell, the back of his head bounced hard off the ice. There was no sign of any movement from him as the Blackhawks and Rangers scuffled nearby. Khaira laid motionless on the ice for several minutes before trainers and paramedics wheeled him off on a stretcher.

He was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, spent the night and the following day, the Hawks offered a first update, stating that Khaira was released from the hospital, and that “his prognosis is excellent, and we expect a full recovery. At this point, it is too early to put a timeline on return to play.”

This was worrisome for fans to read, since Khaira was sidelined more than once in his career with concussion issues and this one seemed like it could put an end to his career.

To make things even more worrisome, the update that came in on Tuesday revealed that Khaira was back with the team, was up and moving, though coach Derek King mentioned time was of the essence.

“He looks good. It’s just nice to have him around. The guys were excited to see that he’s up and moving around pretty good. It’s going to take some time.”

Time for what? To return to the ice? That sounds way too soon to put that type of pressure on Khaira, no? Doesn’t he want to live a healthy life?

Khaira signed with the Hawks as a free agent this summer after spending the past five seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. He has two goals and no assists in 17 games in his first season with the Blackhawks, though at the moment, he needs to put his health first.