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| Spezza scored two goals, three assists in the first five games of the season. (Getty Images) |
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Senators All-Star forward Jason Spezza missed the last two games because of a back problems. He's going to miss a few more because of back surgery.
The Senators announced on Thursday that Spezza's back issue wasn't getting better so he will undergo surgery on Friday to fix a herniated disc. As you would assume, that's not something that he's going to bounce right back from.
While the Senators didn't put a timeline on his recovery, the team is hopeful he will be back on the ice by the end of the regular season and, assuming they keep playing well, be primed for the playoffs. In total, the best guess is probably a two-month absence.
This is anything but good news for the Senators. Spezza seems to get overlooked, but he's a heck of a player. Daniel Alfredsson's days of leading the team in offense are long gone, and Milan Michalek isn't going to produce on the same level as Spezza, not necessarily from a goal-scoring standpoint but more so from a play-making standpoint.
Last season in 80 games, Spezza had 34 goals and 50 assists. That's not something that disappears from the lineup without leaving a hole.
Fortunately for the Seantors, they have gotten off to an incredible 5-1-1 start and goaltender Craig Anderson has been virtually unbeatable. Getting off to such a start might help them get through what could be a few tough weeks, like a squirrel stockpiling food for the winter.
Unfortunately, this probably won't have Spezza in a laughing mood (we tease only because we love this).
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