Sharks' Nikolai Knyzhov behind schedule with injury recovery?

When Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov was expected to miss eight to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery for a lower-body injury, it appears he’s well behind schedule in his recovery. The early point of that timeline would have had him returning now, but Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News mentions that the blueliner is still very early in the rehab stage and doesn’t appear to be close to returning. Knyzhov very quietly played in all 56 games for San Jose last season, collecting 10 points while logging nearly 17 minutes a night on the back end. This slow recovery will make it tough for them to rely on his return in the second half, which means the team may need to look to the trade market to try to add some low-cost depth.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

• While a firm diagnosis on Joel Eriksson Ek’s injury isn’t yet known, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribute notes that the Wild center was spotted postgame in a sling, which suggests he’ll be out for a little while at least. That would be a big blow to Minnesota’s attack with the 24-year-old on pace for career highs offensively as he currently has 11 goals and nine assists in 30 games. Minnesota should have winger Jordan Greenway back for its next game on Monday after he missed the Dec. 20th contest due to a lower-body injury.
• Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson is making progress as he works his way back from his upper-body injury with GM Kevyn Adams expressing optimism that he’d be back this season, relays Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Harrington notes that the injury is believed to be a head or neck issue, which would help explain the uncertain timeline; he started off as day-to-day before being re-classified as month-to-month. Anderson was off to a nice start before the injury, posting a 2.50 GAA with .921 SV% in his first six starts.