Already? Makar Back Skating While in Concussion Protocol, Joined by Landeskog

I expected to see Gabriel Landeskog skating when I stopped by Family Sports on Wednesday. I did not expect to see Cale Makar.

To my surprise, both of them were on the ice, as well as a few others.

Both Landeskog and Makar skated for about 50 minutes on Wednesday afternoon. They were joined by Darren Helm for the majority of the skate. Josh Manson, who missed practice Tuesday, also found his way onto the ice later in the session.

Wednesday was a planned off day for the rest of the team.

Landeskog worked on his own, mostly doing a lot of the same basic skating work he did Monday. He did, however, look to be moving better than in his previous session. He also stayed on the ice longer than he did earlier in the week. It’s all a process, though, so don’t expect him back in the lineup any time soon.

The big surprise was Makar. Head injuries are very difficult to judge, but with Makar having been in concussion protocol twice over the last two weeks, I expected him to stay off the ice a little longer. That, obviously, was not the case.

The responses on social media to the news was a mix of joy and concern. People are happy to see Makar on the ice skating and moving well, but concerned that maybe he’s being rushed back too quickly. Makar has usually been one who knows his own body, and doesn’t push it if he doesn’t feel he’s ready, so I tend to trust him, but I do understand the concern. Two head injuries in such a short period of time is no joke.

Being on the ice doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be back playing as soon as he can, though. Makar has already been ruled out for this weekend, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready come Monday when they play the Vegas Golden Knights.

What do you think? Do you think Makar should stay off the ice a little longer? Leave a comment down below with your opinion on the matter.

In the meantime, here’s some video from their skate for everyone to take a look at.

Landeskog doing his own work, while Shawn Allard is working with Makar. pic.twitter.com/X0vGUge43B

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) February 22, 2023

Makar pic.twitter.com/hmcmKTilSG

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) February 22, 2023