It appears as though the injury Calgary Flames forward Kevin Rooney suffered last night wasn’t as bad as it originally appeared.
Less than eight minutes into the Flames’ season opener, Rooney appeared to be unconscious after taking a massive hit from Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller. A scrum ensued afterward, though it seemed the injury was one more of unfortunate luck than a dirty check.
Kevin Rooney was able to skate off under his own power after being down from this hit by J.T. Miller pic.twitter.com/9rABNtr49F
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 10, 2024
It appeared for a moment that Rooney would need to be stretchered off the ice, though he eventually was able to skate off with the assistance of his teammates. Still, it appeared as though he may be in for a lengthy absence, but, based on some comments from head coach Ryan Huska today, that doesn’t look like it will be the case.
“He’s doing well,” Huska said. “I guess we’d consider him day-to-day now. He’s still getting looked at a little bit, but he’s doing well.”
This is a huge sigh of relief for anyone watching last night’s game, as there was some serious concern over this injury at the time it happened. It’s also great news for Rooney, who hasn’t had the easiest of times staying healthy lately.
Hoping to earn a spot in the bottom six a season ago, the 31-year-old suffered a shoulder injury in exhibition play, which required surgery. He wound up missing several months and was limited to just 33 games.
If Rooney is to miss some game action, the player most likely to slot in for him is Matt Coronato. The talented Flames prospect was able to crack the opening-night roster out of training camp but was watching last night’s game from the press box at Rogers Arena.
The Flames will be back in action Saturday in their home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Puck drop is set for 8 pm MT.
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