With the New York Rangers eliminated, they’ve revealed the extent of the injuries they suffered, including the seriousness of Mats Zuccarello’s condition. He suffered a brain contusion and small skull fracture and it left him temporarily unable to speak. He remains in speech therapy, per the The Record’s Andrew Gross.
That stems from Game 5 of the first round when Zuccarello was struck in the head by a shot from teammate Ryan McDonagh. He was able to skate off the ice on his own strength.
The good news is that his doctors have informed Zuccarello that he will be able to play next season. In fact, Zuccarello thinks that he might have even been able to participate in the Stanley Cup Final, although it sounds like the odds of that happening weren’t great.
Zuccarello resumed skating on May 18. He also started traveling with the team prior to that.
He’ll begin a four-year, $18 million contract in 2015-16.