Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 6, 2015.
SAN JOSE – Former Sharks forward Raffi Torres will not play for the rest of the season, he announced on Friday in a statement released by the AHL Barracuda.
Torres was traded to Toronto on Monday, along with two second round picks, in exchange for defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling. The Maple Leafs promptly loaned him back to the Barracuda.
"In consultation with my agent and my doctors, I have made the decision that I will not be playing professional hockey for the remainder of the season,” Torres said.
"Recently, I underwent yet another medical procedure, and I need more time to recover and heal from it."
"Up to this point in my career, I have always aggressively pushed my recovery timelines to come back as quickly as possible from injury. However, after this most recent procedure, I want to give myself the proper amount of rest and recovery time so that my body can completely heal. I believe that this approach is the best course of action at this point in order to attempt to resume my career."
"I want to thank the Sharks and Barracuda organizations, along with all of my teammates, for their support during my time with the club."
The controversial 34-year-old forward was suspended for 41 games this season for an illegal hit in the preseason. He has not played in an NHL game since the 2014 playoffs, dealing with ongoing knee issues stemming from a collision in a preseason game on Sep. 20, 2013.
Sharks General manager Doug Wilson spoke about Torres on a conference call Monday regarding the trade.
“Raffi is a good man. He’s been on a tough journey. I think he just needs more time to go get healthy and move forward with his career, but he’s not at the point that he needs to be at right now," Wilson said. "This was a necessary part of this deal to make it work cap-wise and financially.”
