Jacob Melanson is only 23, and the Kraken forward is now facing a chest injury serious enough to push hockey far down the list of what matters.
He has been diagnosed with an anterior mediastinal hematoma and a vascular pseudoaneurysm. The Kraken have confirmed he will be out indefinitely while medical staff monitor his recovery.
Those are heavy words, so here's what they mean. A hematoma is a pooling of blood from a damaged vessel, and in his case it formed at the front of the chest, between the lungs.
The pseudoaneurysm is the more serious part. An artery was damaged, and blood escaped into a small pocket of tissue that stays connected to the vessel.
That pocket is fragile, and another impact could be dangerous. That's why doctors are demanding complete rest while the artery and chest heal.
In plain terms, a hard impact damaged a blood vessel inside his chest. Hockey is not the priority right now, and it shouldn't be.
Lane Lambert's Kraken rally around Jacob Melanson
Melanson played one game this season and carries a $1,450,000 cap hit. Those numbers feel almost meaningless today.
Seattle is 4-2-0 and visits Philadelphia on Tuesday. Lane Lambert and Jason Botterill can fill a roster spot, but nobody can fill the worry in that room.
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The Kraken are handling this exactly right. Taking every precaution with a young player's health matters more than any game on the schedule, and there should be no rush at all.
Healing from something like this is like letting a cracked dam settle before anyone dares test it again. Patience is the whole plan.
Moments like this remind everyone that behind every cap hit and stat line is a young man with a family waiting on good news.
Melanson will have plenty of time to think about hockey later. For now, the only thing that matters is a full recovery, and the entire hockey world should be pulling for him.
Should the Kraken keep Jacob Melanson out for the full season to be safe?
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