WINNIPEG — Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane missed seven games because of a concussion, but admitted Tuesday morning he may have played with concussion-like symptoms since taking a hit against the New York Islanders on Dec. 20.

He played the rest of that game and 14 more before the symptoms became more acute.

“I don’t think it was affecting my play,” Kane said. “It was a long time ago. I got over it quickly. I just wasn’t feeling the same as I was most of the year so I wanted to try to take a step back and rest up and get better.”

Kane was expected to return to the Jets’ lineup on Tuesday night against Toronto.

Kane denied that his concussion was the result of any off-ice injury. And while he was at it, he also said there’s no truth to the gossip that he’s walked out on restaurant bills in Winnipeg.

“This kind of media attention is to be expected here in Canada,” he said. “All eyes are on you and I’m enjoying it.”

The matter of the concussion — in particular, playing with symptoms — is serious but Kane waffled about his concern during that period after the Islanders game.

“It was the normal symptoms that come along with a concussion,” he said. “I just took a bit of a spill, hit my head on the back of the ice. It was just a harmless hit to be honest with you.

“I felt my brain rattle a little bit.”

He said he was over it in a day but that that wasn’t the end of it, as there were headaches involved.

“I got over it the next day but it just kind of carried on and then that last week before I finally stepped away, I just wasn’t feeling myself,” he said. “It was probably best to go get examined and evaluated.

“I feel a lot better. It feels good, well-rested and I’m excited about (returning Tuesday night).”

Kane is the team’s leading goal-scorer this season with 18 goals. The Jets have scored just five times in their last six games.

Before he was sidelined, Kane hadn’t scored in 10 games.

“Any time you go through a stretch like that, it’s never fun,” he said. “The games I’ve missed, I’ve been able to refresh and regroup.”

Jets coach Claude Noel said that players are reminded to report symptoms.

“We’ve mentioned that and our trainers are good in the fact that they do that,” Noel said. “But athletes are athletes and if you’ve ever had a concussion it’s strange because you’re not really sure, either. Is it a headache? There’s a lot of emphasis on it now and it’s something we’ve addressed.

“Concussions are out there. It’s one of those things . . . sometimes you wake up and you’re fine. Sometimes you don’t get anything until a couple days later. Anything now, though, you’ve got to bring it up to the staff and say, ‘I might not be quite right here.’ That’s the only thing you can do.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca