The Buffalo Sabres will find themselves without one of their top forwards after Ryan O’Reilly had an emergency appendectomy during the Christmas break. There is no official timetable for his return. Head coach Dan Bylsma said it would be roughly 10-14 days of recovery and rest for O’Reilly.
“The initial part is 10-14 days of healing time on the procedure and the lack thereof of an appendix,” said coach Dan Bylsma. “It’s roughly that period of time of rest and recovery and then getting back on the ice.”
Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly underwent a successful appendectomy over the break & no timetable has been set for his return. pic.twitter.com/YSfCUKdpl2
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 27, 2016
Ryan O’Reilly Out Indefinitely
The holidays are typically the times where players go home to spend time with their families. Unfortunately O’Reilly spent Christmas at Buffalo General Hospital where his surgery was performed.
The timetable of O’Reilly’s recovery would be consistent with other players that have gone through the same surgery. Dallas forward Jamie Benn was out for two weeks following his procedure in 2012. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford had his appendectomy on December 3rd and returned to the lineup on December 23rd.
This isn’t the first time that O’Reilly has had to miss some time for the Sabres. He was previously out six games with an oblique injury. In just his second season with the team, the forward has seven goals and 11 assists. The faceoff circle is where he finds most of his success, ranking among the league leaders with a 57% success rating.
The team isn’t expected to make any roster moves as they have been carrying an extra forward on the roster. They’ll have to find a way to replace a player who averages 21 minutes of ice time a game, however. In doing so, Sam Reinhart will move from center to wing, taking O’Reilly’s spot. Nicolas Deslauriers will also check back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the team’s last game.
The Sabres currently sit in last place in the Atlantic Division at 12-3-8. The loss of O’Reilly will certainly not help their chances of digging themselves out of a hole as they sit eight points out of a playoff spot.
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