One of the interesting trade chips that the Arizona Coyotes held this season was center Johan Larsson, who is actually having a pretty strong year with the rebuilding club. The 29-year-old had 15 points in 29 games and was holding his own in heavy defensive minutes once again. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, he won’t get a chance to showcase those skills much further. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that Larsson has undergone surgery for a sports hernia and notes that the early projection would have him missing eight weeks.
An eight-week timetable would mean Larsson won’t be back before the trade deadline, and given the notorious nature of hernia surgeries having a lasting effect on a player’s performance even after they’re cleared to return, it’ll be hard for a team to bet on him in any deal. Morgan does suggest on Twitter that there was some interest in Larsson, interest that could remain if he’s on track to return at some point.
Last season there was actually a deal that could be considered comparable, even if Larsson’s recovery will take a little longer than initially expected. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Riley Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional draft pick, despite Nash being on long-term injured reserve and not expected back until the playoffs. The depth center ended up playing in two postseason games for Toronto, meaning the Blue Jackets landed a sixth-round pick. If there is a reasonable case to keep Larsson sidelined until the playoffs, any number of contenders that are using LTIR by the deadline could add him simply as another depth piece for later.