In case you missed it, news broke over the weekend that Marc Staal had a surgical procedure on his ankle following an infection. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning he may be out longer than the two weeks. The Rangers are not expected to make a recall while he is out, so while the club is obviously hopeful he could return, infections are tricky and he could be out longer than the team anticipates.
The first thought that popped into my head was the Marian Hossa situation in Arizona. Hossa “retired” from the NHL due to a skin disorder, sitting out the 2017-2018 season and placed on LTIR by the Chicago Blackhawks.