Concussion symptoms to land Bouchard on IR

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the team's fourth-leading points scorer, will be placed on injured reserve because of concussion-like symptoms.

General manager Chuck Fletcher said Tuesday that Bouchard, who has a history of concussions, has felt "a little bit of pressure from time to time" since he was hit Dec. 13 by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian. Bouchard had felt well enough to play until he took an elbow last Wednesday at Vancouver.

Bouchard missed the Wild's game Saturday at Calgary. Bouchard originally was listed with a lower-body injury because he suffered a groin strain against the Canucks.

"We were cautious how we described it to the media," Fletcher said. "He did have a groin pull, as well. We wanted him to come back, take a few days and see our doctor before we officially used the 'concussion' word. It seems to be a scary term right now."

Bouchard, 27, has nine goals and 13 assists in 37 games this season. He missed more than 100 games during the previous two seasons because concussion issues. Fletcher said Bouchard's current symptoms aren't as severe as the ones he had during his almost year and a half away from playing.

"We will continue to do our best to get Bouchard back in the lineup, but, most important, protect his health long term," Fletcher said.

The GM said the Wild will investigate whether there are "external solutions" to boost the team's offense in Bouchard's absence but noted that most teams that have goal scorers want to keep them. The Wild, who had the league's best record in early December, have been hit hard by injuries and have only one win in their past 12 games. They have dropped to the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings.