Ottawa Senators Milan Michalek undergoes surgery, out 4-6 weeks -NHL Update
Milan Michalek might not have been as lucky as his other teammates as he underwent surgery on his stomach to repair a torn abdominal muscle, announced the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise on Monday, September 17, 2012, but will continue receiving his
due salary until being cleared to play.
According to the Ottawa Senator’s medical staff, Michalek is expected to be out for at least four to six weeks to recover fully and will take another week or two at the minimum until he is capable of getting back on the ice.
The Ottawa Sun has reported that Michalek is the only Senators player who will be allowed to use the team facilities and avail his salary due to lockout rules that term injured players as immune from lockout status. This is especially helpful for those that
might have trouble availing services elsewhere as they would require travel and other facilities.
Michalek was drafted as the sixth overall back in round-one of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. The 27-year-old had a breakout season last time around as he potted 60 points (35 goals, 25 assists) in 77 games played as he struggled to get
even half of that in the previous pair of seasons.
In total, Michalek has 526 games under his belt along with 341 points (166 goals, 175 points) and 283 points in the penalty box.
Due to a looming lockout and shutout of the scheduled 2012-2013 NHL regular season, the Ottawa Senators are also reported to have begun the layoff process of their full time staff members and might call them back if a deal between the league and Players’
Association is reached on time.
“Every full-time, every part-time employee is affected by a work stoppage,” Leeder said, according to thespec.com. “On the full-time employees, they’ve either been laid off temporarily or gone to a four-day work week.”
Updates and developments on Michalek’s status should be expected in the upcoming days as the Ottawa Senators will continue keeping a close eye on one of their leading forwards as he is crucial to the squad in every sense of the world.
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