The Ottawa Senators announced that forward Bobby Ryan will have surgery to repair a sports hernia in Montreal today. The surgery will end the season for the 27-year-old forward.
“Bobby has been dealing with the discomfort of this injury since it was sustained in November,” Senators general manager Bryan Murray said in a statement released by the NHL team. “Both Bobby and our medical staff were hopeful that we could hold off from having surgery until the completion of the season, but he aggravated the condition last Saturday in Dallas to the point that surgery is now the only option.”
Ryan has already missed two games this week. He has been remarkably healthy in his NHL career, only missing three games total over the last four seasons.
Ryan, who was acquired by the Senators in a big July 1st trade with the Anaheim Ducks started off the season red hot with 19 points in his first 17 games. However he has cooled down since with only 29 points in his last 53 games. The revelation that he has been bothered by the injury since November provides some explanation for his decreased production in that time. His 23 goals this season are the most of any player on the Senators.
“Bobby Ryan has worked hard to play through this injury to help his team and his teammates, and had yet to miss a game this season prior to the injury progressing to this point,” Murray said.
Ryan has regularly played with centre Kyle Turris this season. Turris said that he knew the effort that Bobby Ryan made to try and play through the injury and the effect it had on his game.
“He battled through it and tried to work through it and it was something they were trying to give him help and he played well through it,” said linemate Kyle Turris. “It will be nice when he’s healthy and feeling better and able to get back at it. We knew it had been nagging him for a while and for him to battle through it and continue to try playing is something that we all respect him for.”
Recent losses have effectively eliminated any realistic chances for the Senators to make the playoffs, even if they are still mathematically alive. Given the situation it is best that Bobby Ryan goes under the knife now, and is fully healed for off-season training and the start of next year’s training camp.
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