Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the team revealed Friday afternoon.
The 30-year-old was acquired by Carolina from the Chicago Blackhawks in the offseason and had appeared in seven of Carolina's 13 games this season scoring once while averaging 9:42 in ice time per game.
"Since the 2015 playoffs, I've been struggling to understand what was going on with my body," Bickell said via a statement released by the team Friday afternoon.
"Again during the past few weeks, it felt like something wasn't right," the rugged forward added.