Shea Weber Injury: Predators Captain Returns To Practice, But Still Out Of Lineup

Nashville Predators defenseman and captain Shea Weber practiced for the first time on Tuesday as he attempts to return to action after suffering a concussion December 23 vs. Dallas. According to On the Forecheck, it looks as though Weber has indeed been cleared for at least a bit of contact.

Weber wore a regular blue practice jersey like his defensive partner Ryan Suter, indicating that he was indeed cleared for some sort of contact.

"It was good," center Mike Fisher said about Weber's return to practice. "He seemed to be moving pretty well out there. He looked good. It's a great sign for sure."

"Whenever you lose a guy like that, and then he comes back, it's definitely a positive thing," Suter said. "Hopefully we can continue to produce like we did before."

There's still no timetable for Weber's eventual return to the lineup, with coach Barry Trotz saying that it's whenever the defenseman feels comfortable doing so, a decision that will be made in conjuction with team doctors.

Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber will not play Friday, as he remains out indefinitely with concussion symptoms which could sideline him for the following game as well.

The standout defenseman was injured last Friday at Dallas. The team posted on its Twitter account Tuesday that Weber "will be evaluated on a daily basis with no timetable on his return."

Weber leads the Predators this season in assists (21), points (29) and plus- minus (+14).

The Preds are currently seventh in the Western Conference with 41 points, but five teams behind them in the playoff race are within three points.

As with all other concussions in the NHL this season, it seems the Preds will take extreme caution with this head injury to their captain, and it's unknown exactly how long he'll be out of the lineup. That news will come as evaluations by doctors continue, but for now, we know he'll miss at least one more game.

Nashville hosts Calgary on Sunday and will hope to hear better news regarding Weber's condition by then.

For more on Weber and the Preds, check out Nashville Predators blog On The Forecheck.

Dallas Stars defenseman Mark Fistric gave Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber a concussion with a forearm shot to the head on December 23, but the NHL Department of Player Safety has not taken action against Fistric. According to Weber's agent Jarrett Bousquet , there's a little more to this than the NHL simply deeming that the hit was not worthy of a suspension. He claims that the incident is being "swept under the carpet."

"I was very surprised and disappointed that Fistric was not suspended for his hit on Weber ... The NHL is raising awareness about concussions and trying to eliminate these types of hits so I don't think that it's too late to right the wrong in this situation. I think the NHL should re-visit this hit if they do in fact want to raise awareness and eliminate hits to the head, as well as send a message to repeat offenders."

Whether or not Bousquet has a point, it's important to note that Weber did, in fact, suffer a concussion as the result of the hit and that Fistric was recently suspended for an illegal hit to the head of New York Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter. The NHL supposedly did not have clear video of the hit.

Weber is still out, but rode a stationary bike with no problems on Wednesday and could be on the verge of returning to full practice.

For more on Weber and the Preds, check out Nashville Predators blog On The Forecheck.