Sekeres: It sounds like they (management/coach) have a different definition of 'injury' than Elias Pettersson... (It's not just Seravelli)
This is a thing. There is a grey area between being injured to the point of sitting out and injured enough to have one's play impaired. Clearly, Pettersson was the latter, but if Tocchet knows this, it doesn't make sense to call his play out... Unless they are misaligned on how injured he actually had been.
Given what happened to Pearson, it's a bit concerning that this is another instance of the team and player not being quite on the same page. At least with Mik, even though I think he could have been shut down earlier and not miss training camp, the player and team were at least on the same page.
It goes back to the question of why the team didn't rest Petey especially after the extension was signed. Petey said that the pain got worse over time. Tendonitis is 100% something where rest is beneficial. The team should have shut down Petey for a few weeks to see if his knee heels or at least rest him to reduce instances of aggravation. I say this acknowleging that playoff seeding was up for grasp.
every team has a medical staff and they make the final decisions. Not the coaches.
That's not how it works. Outside of an abnormal risk of immediate death, doctors don't make the final decisions. It's the player. A player can consent to being injected with painkillers just before the game in order to play. A player can consent to play with broken bones, tendon tears, and other injuries that require offseason surgery.
But the coach controls the lineup card. I don't see an instance where Tocchet and management couldn't have consulted with Petey and his agent about resting that knee in hopes that he would be 100% or better for the playoffs. If money and awards weren't a factor, I don't see why Petey can't be convinced to sit. It would also have given the team a chance to see what a 2nd line centered by Lindholm would be like.