Keith Ballard Injury Update

Keith Ballard spoke to the media for the first time today since suffering a concussion on December 9th against the New York Islanders.

As Keith Ballard was playing the puck between the benches, Matt Martin came up and finished his check on Ballard who had side-stepped to try and avoid the hit, but so did Martin as he laid a hefty blow to Ballard which didn’t warrant a penalty or suspension.

Watch the hit here:

Mike Doyle, Managing Editor of the Minnesota Wild, asked Ballard questions regarding his status for the rest of the season and for the rest of his career which Ballard commented, “Not ready to make that decision right now.” Ballard also explained that being a father is far more important to him than playing hockey.

Watch the full interview here:

Ballard’s status for this season are still uncertain. Hearing him talk about his long-term career and post-NHL career, however, makes me think that he will not be back this season, at least not until very late in the season. Even if Ballard is not playing with the Wild, he is the type of player that will be around the team as much as possible and will impact the team significantly off the ice. It is evident he wants to be back, and even commented on how he may even say he can play even if he knew he shouldn’t.

Hopefully, Keith Ballard can continue to recover from his concussion and take as much time as he needs to make that long-term decision for himself and his family. I would love to see Ballard back with the team, but there are definitely more important things for him to consider.