One of the Nashville Predators' most valuable trade chips had a bit of a scare on Tuesday.
Veteran forward Ryan O'Reilly was hit with a stick near his eye in the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The incident happened off a faceoff when the butt-end of Charlie Coyle's stick accidentally clipped O'Reilly in the face. O'Rielly immediately went to the ice in pain and then needed help getting to the dressing room.
He did not return to the game which the Predators lost 3-2.
Thankfully, the team provided a promising update on O'Reilly's status after the game.
“For those who are concerned about Ryan O’Reilly, we expect that he is going to be OK," the team said to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "He is flying home with the team from Columbus tonight and will be evaluated by our medical team in Nashville. We expect to have an update on his playing status sometime Thursday.”
O'Reilly, 35, has had a solid season for the Predators with 22 goals and 37 assists in 59 games.
With Nashville on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, O'Reilly could potentially be a valuable addition for contending teams looking to add a valuable centre.
The Predators already began their sell-off on Tuesday, trading Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild and Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights.
