Utah defenseman Sean Durzi left the team’s game today against the New Jersey Devils and there may be lasting consequences. Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reported the team didn’t have any updates on Durzi but he was seen leaving the game wearing a sling.
It may take until the weekend to unveil the total extent of Durzi’s injury with the team wrapping up their current road trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday of this week. The sling suggests Durzi won’t be available for the team in that game and could already be on a plane home to Salt Lake City.
Durzi was off to a great start with Utah before the injury as the team technically still hasn’t lost a game when he was in the lineup. He tallied two assists in the first three games of the year while putting one puck on the net and blocking two shots before exiting the game today. Depending on the severity of the injury the NHL’s newest franchise might be without one of their top defenseman for the foreseeable future.
Durzi’s absence paves the way for veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to make his regular-season debut with the organization. Bortuzzo signed a one-year, $775K contract with Utah this past offseason after posting zero points between the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders last offseason while averaging 13:44 of ice time in 27 games.