Patrick Sharp is going to undergo a season-ending surgery. It was announced Tuesday that he was playing through an undisclosed injury, and will need the surgery soon. Sharp also suffered a concussion on December 1st, 2016, that held him out of play for the entire month. The 35-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season and he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
Jim Nill says that Patrick Sharp will eventually require season ending surgery. Has been playing with the injury, & will continue to do so. pic.twitter.com/MsdWrBWxGQ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 1, 2017
Dallas Stars Patrick Sharp Needs Surgery
Sharp was splitting between the second and third line since his return from the concussion on December 31. So far this season, Sharp has played in only 37 games. In those he has 15 points, all but two coming after he returned from his concussion on December 31. Considering his age, the number of points Sharp has been able to put up is impressive. He’d play an important role in the Stars lineup if he wasn’t plagued with injuries this season.
Because of Dallas’ struggles this year, as well as his expiring contract, Sharp had a lot of trade rumors swirling around before the deadline. According to the Stars general manager Jim Nill, teams did call asking about Sharp, but he had to decline them because of the injury. Among these teams were the New York Islanders, who supposedly had a deal in place for Sharp.
Although he is likely to undergo surgery soon and miss the rest of the season, he still remains in the active roster. Sharp will continue to play through the injury until the Stars are officially eliminated from the playoffs. They are currently seven points behind the struggling St. Louis Blues, who are in control of the second wild card in the Western Conference. Dallas would really need their whole team to pick up the tempo though, and considering their lack of big moves at the deadline, that isn’t looking very likely. The other teams battling for that wild card, but still outside of it, include the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets; two teams who show a lot more promise than the Stars do. However Dallas remains optimistic. They’re demonstrating this by keeping Sharp off of injured reserve, with only 19 games left to play.
Main Photo:
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 29: Patrick Sharp #10 of the Dallas Stars skates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on November 29, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 3-1. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
