- Stan Bowman shut down Frank Seravalli’s report that Evan Bouchard played the Ducks series with a concussion
- The Oilers GM’s answer at Thursday’s media availability: “No, that is not accurate”
- Read below for the full quote, the Seravalli backstory, and how Edmonton handled McDavid and Dickinson playing through foot fractures
Stan Bowman isn’t buying Frank Seravalli’s reporting on Evan Bouchard.
The Edmonton Oilers general manager spent most of Thursday’s media availability defending the firing of Kris Knoblauch, but he also got a direct question about whether his star defenseman played the first-round series against Anaheim with a concussion. His answer was short.
“No, that is not accurate,” Bowman said when asked about the Seravalli report.
Here’s the quote, as relayed by Oilers reporter Jason Gregor:
Seravalli broke the original report on May 11, saying Bouchard had played at least part of the six-game loss to the Ducks with a concussion. Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now didn’t go that far but said Bouchard “got absolutely belted” in Game 1, with the popular theory being a late-second-period hit from Cutter Gauthier that drove Bouchard’s face into the glass.
If true, the report would have put Edmonton and the league in a brutal spot. The NHL has had neutral concussion spotters in the building since 2016 with the authority to pull a player off the bench for evaluation, and a star defenseman skating through a head injury in a playoff series would be exactly the kind of headline the league spends millions trying to prevent.
Bowman’s denial doesn’t make the question disappear, but it’s a flat denial from the team’s GM, on the record.
Watch the full availability from the Oilers’ official channel:
Bouchard finished the series with a goal and six assists across six games at a minus-7. He was healthy enough days later to accept an invite to play for Canada at the IIHF World Championship in Zurich, where he’s already suited up with the rest of the Canadian group.
Before he was let go, Knoblauch had confirmed ankle and foot fractures to Connor McDavid and Jason Dickinson, both of which Edmonton acknowledged once the Ducks series wrapped.
Edmonton’s offseason has plenty more for Bowman to sort through, with the Knoblauch firing only the first move. On the Bouchard front, though, his story is that there’s no story.
