Spinal injury sidelines 28-year-old defenseman
It's difficult enough for NHL players to stay in shape and healthy over the course of an 82 game NHL season. Hockey at the NHL level is brutal on a player's body. Things get even worse when players are injured to start the season. A delayed season start puts them behind the eight ball and most of the time, players who miss the start of the season have difficulty catching up.
The Chicago Blackhawks were already going to be bad this year. They've traded away some of their best players and their leadership doesn't even know if they want to stay with the team. Now they'll be without one of their best defensemen to start the season. The team announced today that Jake McCabe has undergone successful surgery on his cervical spine. The recovery time is estimated to be 10-12 weeks, putting him in line for a late November, early December return.
Aside from what the Blackhawks released, there isn't much to go on. Any time a spinal injury is bad enough to require surgery, you know it's serious. The good news is that the Hawks do expect to see McCabe back on the ice. The crew at Maple Leafs Insider wish McCabe all the best and hope to see him make a full recovery.
