Deadmarsh Unsure When He’ll Skate Again

Here in the city where Adam Deadmarsh made his mark as a professional, the gritty winger was absent Saturday.

The Kings were playing the Colorado Avalanche, but Deadmarsh was back home in Los Angeles, still pondering when he would fully recover from post-concussion syndrome symptoms that have sidelined him for almost a year.

He had been making steady progress until he collided with center Jozef Stumpel during a Nov. 11 non-contact skate with a small group of injured players.

“It made me kind of feel a little bit off for the rest of the day and for the next day,” Deadmarsh said. “That collision may have set me back a little bit maybe. I had some symptoms from that that I hadn’t felt for a while. It made me think, ‘Let’s be careful here.’ I have to be careful not to really get whacked.”

Deadmarsh said he felt “tightness and pressure” in his head after the collision. He also has experienced vision problems.

Deadmarsh underwent a battery of tests after the collision, all of which came out normal, General Manager Dave Taylor said.

“There’s always the chance of [a collision] when you go on the ice,” Taylor said. “You could bump into somebody or slip on the ice. That’s why we make helmets mandatory at all of our practices.

“For Adam, if he’s intent on coming back, he has to be able to take contact at some point.”

Deadmarsh, 28, said he has been feeling better the last few days but is unsure when he will skate again. He is erring on the side of caution, taking a break from skating as a new approach.

“We have to ask ourselves if that was why I couldn’t get over that last hump, because I kept pushing myself,” Deadmarsh said. “Maybe some time off will help.”

Deadmarsh, who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, was traded to the Kings in February 2001 as part of the Rob Blake deal. He had 62 points in 2001-02 and 13 goals in 20 games last season.

He suffered a concussion last November against the Toronto Maple Leafs that forced him out of the lineup for nine games. He returned Dec. 7 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and scored four goals in five games, but was kneed in the head by then-teammate Craig Johnson on Dec. 15 at Phoenix.

Deadmarsh hasn’t played since.

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Defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov will rejoin the Kings on Monday after playing three games with minor-league affiliate Manchester (N.H.).

Kuznetsov, 26, was delayed in Russia for more than two months because of visa problems.