For the second time this season, the Buffalo Sabres will be without forward Jack Quinn after the winger underwent surgery to address a lower-body injury, according to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski.
Quinn is expected to miss eight weeks of NHL play after Monday’s surgery, which will repair an ailment that occurred during Saturday night’s 5-2 win over the lowly San Jose Sharks.
“It’s a brutal development for Quinn, who missed the first 32 games of the season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon in the same leg,” wrote Lysowski. “The latest injury isn’t related to the Achilles, sources confirmed, and there wasn’t damage to his knee, either. An eight-week timeline means Quinn won’t be back until late March at the soonest. The Sabres’ regular season ends April 15 with a game at Tampa Bay.”
After returning to the lineup in December, Quinn had been making an impact in Western New York, scoring five goals and 12 points over 17 games.
Jack Quinn injured vs. Sharks
Now, the young top-six forward will again have more questions than answers as he rehabs yet another injury.
“Quinn collected the puck near the wall in the offensive zone, spun to his right to avoid a check and his left leg folded awkwardly when he was shoved in the back by Sharks forward Tomas Hertl,” explained Lysowski. “The fall left Quinn lying on the ice until he was helped to his feet, then teammates helped him reach the bench.”
Buffalo bench boss Don Granato called the injury a “devastating sight,” especially after what Quinn went through with his Achilles surgery in the offseason. He had to re-learn how to walk and skate, and now will be on the shelf again.
And although the Sabres have a few young faces they could call up, he is a standout two-way winger who can play in all situations for his team, and he’ll be difficult to replace.
“There’s time to decide who will take Quinn’s spot in the lineup. Granato can turn to Victor Olofsson, though the pending unrestricted free agent has only four goals in 33 games. There are several forwards in Rochester vying for a role in Buffalo, including Brandon Biro, Lukas Rousek, Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich,” asserted Lysowski.
The 22-23-4 Sabres will be back in action — without Jack Quinn — next Tuesday against the Dallas Stars as they look to improve on their sixth place standing in the Atlantic Division.
More must-reads: