Looks as though Buffalo will be without the services of Josh Gorges for quite a while.
Gorges, who suffered a knee injury against St. Louis last Tuesday, is going to be sidelined for “weeks” according to GM Tim Murray.
“It’s not the worst, but it’s not the best,” Murray said, per the Buffalo News. “It’s in between. He’s not coming back any time soon. It’s weeks. I have not been told about surgery, so until [athletic trainer] Tim Macre tells me something I can’t speculate.”
Gorges, 30, had been a key figure on the Sabres’ blueline to start the year, averaging 21:36 over the first 17 games while leading the league in shot blocks, with 60.
Without Gorges in the lineup, the Sabres have given an increased workload to ’13 first-rounder Nikita Zadorov, including a career-high 25:17 in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to Minnesota (in which Zadorov finished with an assist and a plus-3 rating). As Brough wrote earlier this morning, it sounds as though the Sabres are going to keep the Russian rearguard for the season, rather than return him junior.