Officially, Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis has a “lower-body injury” and is out of the lineup indefinitely. Based on what PHT has been told, he won’t be back until after Christmas.
While neither the Canucks nor Hamhuis have provided any specific details about the injury (it’s reportedly a groin issue), reporters did manage to get a status update of sorts when they caught up with the 31-year-old Team Canada blue-liner yesterday at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
“Things are moving along well with recovering,” Hamhuis said, per The Province. “We’re really happy with the progress so far and it’s three weeks. I don’t know a return date yet but hopefully we can get a time frame here soon.”
Hamhuis was injured Nov. 20 in a game against the Ducks, and Vancouver has gone a respectable 5-3-1 without him.
At the same time, while the top pairing of Alex Edler and Chris Tanev has been mostly solid, inconsistency has plagued Kevin Bieksa, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Stanton and Yannick Weber in the bottom pairings.
Which is to say, Hamhuis has been missed. How long he’s out, and how well he’s able to play once he gets back, could go a long way in determining whether the Canucks can hold on to their current playoff spot.
The Canucks host the Rangers Saturday night.
Earlier today, Vancouver called up d-man Alex Biega from AHL Utica.