Doctor’s Take: Ferraro Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

Naturally, the San Jose Sharks will close 2023 with an injury.

The NHL leader in man games lost looks like they might add another significant injury to their ledger.

SJHN Daily: Sharks Lead NHL in Man Games Lost

In the first period of Sunday’s contest against the Colorado Avalanche, defenseman Mario Ferraro took a big hit from Nathan MacKinnon.

Haven’t seen Ferraro return since the hit by MacKinnon. Thrun and Rutta have each taken a shift filling in along side Emberson in the mean time. #SJSharks https://t.co/jma7U2eQpG pic.twitter.com/ws0SRpSGHD

— SnipeCity420  (@SnipeCity420) January 1, 2024

Ferraro immediately went to the locker room, favoring his upper body. The San Jose Sharks followed up shortly, confirming that Ferraro had left the game with an upper-body injury.

A doctor not affiliated with the San Jose Sharks or Ferraro offered this opinion.

“The angle of the hit looks like it could cause a clavicle fracture or separated shoulder. Maybe dislocation,” the doctor suggested, on watching the replay. “Shoulder separation is a little less healing time than a clavicle fracture. Dislocation can theoretically be fixed and [he can be] back really quickly.

“He drops his arm after the hit though, something seems wrong there.”

Hopefully, Ferraro isn’t gone long. He’s the only San Jose Sharks defenseman to average over 20 minutes a night (22:45), and while the cellar-dwelling squad has struggled this season, they would undisputedly be worse without him. He’s also shown some offensive flashes recently.

Preview/Lines #37: Will This Time Be Different for Ferraro on Power Play?

The Sharks’ next game is on Tuesday at SAP Center against the Detroit Red Wings. It’s undetermined as of now if San Jose will practice tomorrow, so we may not get a Ferraro update until then.