The Buffalo Sabres announced today that forward Tyler Ennis has undergone groin surgery and “will be out for several weeks.”
It’s another tough injury blow for the 27-year-old, who only played 23 games last season due mostly to a concussion.
Ennis had just one goal and one assist in 12 games this season, and he was only averaging 13:44 of ice time, considerably lower than this career-high, 19:07, in 2014-15.
At the very least, this isn’t another concussion. Ennis spoke in April about the different emotions that came with that particular injury, and how there were times he was feeling downright scared.
What’s so discouraging about this latest injury, so early in the season, is that he was feeling great at the end of last season -- “100 percent,” he said.
A first-round draft pick in 2008, Ennis remains Buffalo property through 2018-19, for a cap hit of $4.6 million. He signed a five-year contract extension in July of 2014, when the future looked a lot brighter for his career.
Of course, the Sabres’ roster has changed dramatically in the past couple of years, with Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Alexander Nylander, Evander Kane, and Kyle Okposo added to the forward group.
Hopefully, Ennis can make a full recovery from this latest setback, and hopefully his future can one day look bright again, even if it’s not in Buffalo.