During the Buffalo Sabres’ training camp, center Zemgus Girgensons suffered a lower-body injury colliding with teammate Steven Fogarty. Girgensons underwent successful surgery to repair his hamstring and has been ruled out for at least six months, which is the entire season according to the team. The seven-year veteran, a key piece to the Sabres’ bottom-six, will surely be missed in his absence.
Zemgus Girgensons underwent successful surgery today to repair a hamstring injury suffered during our scrimmage on Jan. 4.
The expected recovery time for this injury is approximately six months.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 6, 2021
Zemgus Girgensons’s Career
Last season, Girgensons played 69 games with the Sabres, amassing 12 goals and 19 points on the year. Last season, Girgensons landed 110 hits, second for the Sabres behind Rasmus Ristolainen‘s 203. The Latvian forward signed a three-year, $2.2M AAV contract with the Sabres in October. He looks to be a key contributor in the team’s depth for years to come.
Selected 14th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Girgensons has played 489 career games with the Buffalo Sabres. In that time, he’s amassed 138 points and served as the team’s 2015 NHL All-Star. While Girgensons was initially drafted for his offence, he’s played a great role on the team’s bottom-six for the last several years. During training camp, Girgensons played on a line with Cody Eakin and Kyle Okposo.
The Sabres’ Game Plan Moving Forward
The Sabres will need to adjust on the fly without Girgensons, who played a significant amount of the penalty kill minutes last season. Depending on the scope and severity of his injury, Girgensons may miss a lot of the 2021 season. If he does, the Sabres will need to consider the remaining free agency class for a suitable replacement. General manager Kevyn Adams will likely employ a wait-and-see approach.
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