Boychuk needs surgery after all
Zach Boychuk said after the draft that the left wrist injury that knocked him out of the WHL playoffs was healing nicely and expected no further problems, but the Canes' first-round draft pick had surgery to repair the break Tuesday and will miss the next three months.
Boychuk wasn't expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp, so this isn't much of a blow to his NHL hopes, and he was able to participate fully in last week's prospect conditioning camp. But in general, you don't want your top prospects to be dealing with these kind of issues, particularly so soon after they were drafted.
From the team's press release:
Dr. George Edwards performed the procedure, which repaired a fracture in Boychuk’s wrist. Dr. Edwards, who operated on Rod Brind’Amour’s hand during the 2002-03 season, estimates the recovery time for the procedure at about three months.
Luke DeCock
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 829-8947 or luke.decock@newsobserver.com.
Comments
Hey Luke, perhaps you can
Tue, 07/15/2008 - 20:45 — Anonymous (not verified)Hey Luke, perhaps you can answer these questions-- When a team drafts a prospect, but the prospect isn't signed, is the team paying for the surgery? Does the player get health insurance paid for by the team even if he isn't signed? I don't imagine that OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance) covers it, does it?
surgery
Tue, 07/15/2008 - 22:17 — ldecock (author)That's a pretty complicated question and I don't have the answer. My assumption here is that the team pays for the surgery because it's in their best interest -- Boychuk's long-term health, that is -- to do so.
It's also possible the Canes could bill Boychuk's junior team for the surgery because the injury happened while he was playing for them, but my guess is the Canes paid the bill because, again, it's in their best interest to do so. But I don't know that for sure.