Joffrey Lupul may need Back Surgery

by Floyd Gondoli on Dec 16, 2009 10:40 AM PST Comment 2 comments

From the Ducks news section.

Terrible news everyone!

Following Tuesday’s practice at Honda Center before the team departed for Vancouver, Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said Lupul is a “candidate for surgery” to repair a back ailment that has caused problems off and on dating back to training camp. The latest flare-up has kept the 26-year-old out of the lineup since Dec. 8.

“We are not 100 percent sure, but it is a probability at this point,” said Carlyle on the chance Lupul will ultimately go under the knife to correct an injury that has limited him to 23 games played so far this season.

Though the pain originally sprouted near the end of camp, Lupul was not forced to miss any regular season action until he sat for seven games from Nov. 21-Dec. 3. When he returned, he was playing arguably his best hockey yet in his second tenure with the Ducks, scoring goals in three straight games (four overall) with a plus-four rating.

Prior to the start of the team’s current road trip, Lupul started to feel some numbness in his legs, possibly as a result of treatment for his back, and he was again taken out of the lineup. Now the forward with 10 goals and 14 points on the season must wait to see what his next options are to help alleviate the lingering issue for good.

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He will have surgery tomorrow. As good as he played coming back recently, I don’t think we’re effed, not beyond how effed we already are. We’ve looked good without him, and Carlyle’s really leaning on that second line, something he wasn’t willing to do when Lupul was a part of it. Plus, we did really well during Lupul’s first injury stint this year. It’s sad, but we basically traded away Chris Pronger for assets that we will use next year, not this year.

Anaheim Calling

by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Dec 16, 2009 11:47 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I’ve liked the way Lupul has looked on that top line though. It’s good to know that when he does come back he’ll have a place to be. I’m not surprised Murray made a trade like this, but it still might turn out. Depends on how he uses that pick.

We are definitely not effed though. We’ve looked really good, and it look like Carlyle is starting to find some line combinations he likes which means he can roll 4 instead of surviving by Getzlaf and Perry. Brookbank and Whitney are starting to look great together, but Boynton and Wisniewski are a disaster waiting to happen. Let’s trade Wisniewski ASAP.

by Daniel AC on Dec 16, 2009 9:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs