Gaborik surgery potentially on the horizon

Posted on January 1st, 2009 – 2:09 PM
By Michael Russo

Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from an always iron-clad source telling me that Marian Gaborik went to Colorado to see a specialist over the break. I wrote that in today’s paper because I got it confirmed from a secondary source.

What I didn’t write today is that the source also said it was recommended Gaborik have season-ending surgery. If you read last night’s blog, I alluded to this, but I felt I couldn’t write it because I couldn’t get it confirmed 100 percent from assistant GM Tom Lynn.

I’ve been digging at this all day and felt I was getting close enough to this being the truth that I got in touch with Lynn again.

This time, Lynn confirmed to me that over the next two days, the Wild is examining all of its Gaborik options. The most likely, it appears, is for Gaborik to have surgery on what Lynn described as a “hip deficiency” that’s been causing Gaborik groin pain all year.

Last May, Gaborik had surgery on his right hip to repair a torn labrum. This is to his left hip, Lynn said, and he reiterated it’s a deficiency that involves a lot of things, including his labrum.

If Gaborik has surgery, he can begin skating in a matter of weeks, Lynn said, but he’d be out until at or near the end of the season.

This is catastrophic, and I’m not talking about what this does to the team this season.

The Wild likely would have an untradeable asset, one that would likely walk at the end of the season. From Gaborik’s perspective, there is no chance he’d command anything close to around the $8 million a year the Wild offered him at the start of the season.

I’ve had calls into Gaborik all day. He hasn’t called me back yet. Nor has his agent.

I talked to Doug Risebrough this morning, and the reason I got real suspicious to pursue this story? When I asked if he was worried Gaborik wouldn’t play again this season, Risebrough basically said yes. When I told him I had heard it was recommended Gaborik have season-ending surgery, he said, “I’m not commenting.”

Like I said, Lynn is saying it wouldn’t necessarily be season-ending surgery, but pretty much so.

The big question now: Does Marian Gaborik ever wear a Wild sweater again?

Short URL: http://www.hockeyshack.com/?p=1106

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