The Carolina Hurricanes’ fears were confirmed Monday when it was revealed that high-scoring forward Jeff Skinner did indeed suffer a concussion after taking a high hit in the team’s last exhibition game. Skinner was on the receiving end of Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen’s forearm while Skinner was following through on a pass.

Skinner immediately went down and struggled to steady himself after he got to his feet. He did not return to the game and Niskanen did not receive a penalty on the play.

Here’s the statement from Carolina general manager Ron Francis:

“Jeff has been diagnosed with a concussion,” said Francis. “He will continue to be monitored by our team doctors and go through proper protocols in the coming days.”

Concussion recovery timelines often bring a lot of uncertainty, and in Skinner’s case, it’s a particularly delicate situation. The 22-year-old forward has sustained multiple concussions in his NHL career already, having missed significant time in both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

Skinner is going to have to take all the time he needs to get healthy before coming back from this. Considering his concussion history, you just have to hope that these blows Skinner has taken won’t have a long-term impact. The more that is gathered about head trauma, the scarier it seems to become. Also, Skinner's youth makes these injuries particularly concerning.

The Hurricanes are now down two of their best forwards with Jordan Staal already sidelined 3-4 months with a fractured fibula. The team was already shallow up front and to be down two of their stars is going to make the early portion of this season an absolute grind for a team that finished second to last in the Metropolitan Division. 

Skinner had 33 goals and 54 points last season for Carolina. Over his first four NHL seasons, the former No. 7 overall pick has 185 points, including 97 goals.