Carolina Hurricanes Forward May be Forced to Retire at 27

This past offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Ondrej Kase to a one-year deal with hopes of Kase providing depth scoring, something the Hurricanes needed. However, it looks like Kase will have played all of 11 minutes for the Canes before needing to hang up the skates due to concussion problems.

Kase has had a history of concussions and injuries throughout his career. Since breaking into the NHL in 2016, Kase has played only 258 total games. While this is a lot of games, it is only about 45% of the total games he could have played if he were healthy.

This year, Kase only played in 1 NHL game before going on the IR where he hasn't left since going on. This must be difficult on Kase who is a competitor and wants to play but he must prioritize his health over the game, especially his brain health.

If Kase were to retire, he will likely have positions with many pro teams wanting his services but he also may decide on spending time with his family. A concussion history may make life difficult for Kase post-retirement and we can only wish him the best with his ventures throughout the rest of his life.