BREAKING: Knyzhov to Have Surgery, Out About 2 Months

The news just went from bad to worse for Nikolai Knyzhov and the San Jose Sharks.

Last week, San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner disclosed that Knyzhov, who’s missed the entirety of training camp with an undetermined lower-body injury, would be seeing a specialist for his problem.

Today, Boughner shared that Knyzhov would be having surgery on Oct. 22. He couldn’t offer a firm timeline yet as to when Knyzhov would be ready to play again, but estimated 8-10 weeks from the date of the surgery.

“He’s really disappointed today,” Boughner said. “We were hoping for the best with rehab and I think he’s just disappointed that he’s lost that time and now that he’s got to get this surgery.”

This injury puts extra pressure on a San Jose Sharks’ defensive corps that’s relying on some big unknowns. Just for example, AHL veteran Jake Middleton was anointed to the top-four last night next to Erik Karlsson. To Middleton’s credit, he performed ably in the San Jose Sharks’ 4-3 victory.

Meanwhile, expensive veterans Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Radim Simek toiled on the bottom pairing, with rookie Santeri Hatakka waiting in the wings.

It was all smiles last night at SAP Center, but long-term, this could be a season-defining problem for a San Jose Sharks squad trying to make the playoffs once again. Losing a top-four defenseman and not having an obvious replacement to soak up those minutes is a problem that is likely to bite you sooner than later.