because of concussions.

this is a guy with a long history. not only is his long-term health more important than one game, it's more important than one series or one season. not being cautious here is a big mistake. if this were his first one or even his first one in a while, OK. but this is a guy who has missed a couple hundred games in his career, almost all because of concussions. he just had one to start the season. you don't play game with that, especially when he is the guy who saved the franchise. the macho shit in hockey has its appeal and yeah playing when you're hurt is part of the game. but it has gone too far far too many times and concussions are a gray area to say the least.

playing him today is a mistake under any circumstances. this just happened. he needs more time to be evaluated given his history.