Some sad news out of Rochester, where Americans goalie Nathan Lieuwen will “take significant time off” to recover from the concussion he suffered late last season with the Buffalo Sabres, according to the Democrat and Chronicle’s Kevin Oklobzija.
Lieuwen, who has scary history of concussions, recently told the Amerks he has experienced vision issues all season, according to the paper. A neurologist said his brain hasn’t healed from the April 6 concussion he suffered in Philadelphia.
The 23-year-old said last year he had recovered from the concussion, and he played regularly this season until a hip flexor sidelined him before Christmas. Still, following a breakout campaign, Lieuwen struggled badly, posting a 3.29 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in 16 games.
Amerks coach Chadd Cassidy told the paper Lieuwen thought his vision issues weren’t related to his concussion.
“He thought he could get through it,” Cassidy said. “He was in tears when he told me. He wasn’t having the headaches but he was having trouble tracking the puck and seeing the puck.”
There’s some good news, however. Cassidy said the neurologist hasn’t mentioned Lieuwen’s problem could be career-threatening.
Read Kevin’s full article here.