The plan has changed regarding injured Sharks forward Raffi Torres.
The 33-year-old, who has yet to play this season, will not need additional right knee surgery as was expected. It was revealed over the summer that Torres developed a pair of infections in his surgically repaired knee and would require another ACL repair, but that’s not the case.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson issued the following statement on Tuesday:
"Raffi continues to work on rehabilitating his knee and is progressing well. After additional medical examination and in consultation with his agent, Eustace King, it has been determined that Raffi will forego any additional surgery at this time.
“Many NHL players have previously taken the same approach to recovering from a similar injury with success. We expect Raffi to continue his rehabilitation in San Jose in the near future.
"There is no set timeline for Raffi's return to game action at this time."
Despite the lack of an official timeline, the hope now is that Torres will now return to the Sharks sooner than originally anticipated, provided his rehab continues to progress. He has been in the Toronto area, but is expected back in San Jose in early November.
The energetic forward originally hurt his knee in the 2013 preseason, colliding with the Anaheim Ducks’ Emerson Etem. He underwent surgery to repair his right ACL on Sep. 26, 2013, and did not play his first regular season game until Feb. 27, after the Olympic break. He only skated in five games before the playoffs, though, and after the season said he was “skating around pretty much on one leg.”
Last year’s surgery was the second major right knee operation of Torres’ NHL career, after he missed 11 months from tearing his right ACL on Dec. 15, 2007.
Torres is in the second year of a three-year contract with the Sharks, carrying a $2 million salary cap hit.
