Jesper Fast Out Five Months Following Hip Surgery

After being eliminated by the Ottawa Senators, head coach Alain Vigneault revealed at breakup day that one player would required offseason surgery. However, at the time, Vigneault never mentioned or hinted at which player it could be, so there was a ton of speculation surrounding the mysteriously injured player. That player was finally revealed this afternoon, as the Rangers announced that Jesper Fast had underwent a successful labral repair of his left hip.

The recovery time is expected to be about five months, which means Fast will likely miss at least the first month of the regular season. Aside from missing the season opener though, Fast’s injury could potentially have an impact on Vegas’ expansion draft plans.

While the injury doesn’t make Fast ineligible from being selected, it could make him much less appealing to a Vegas team that wants to try and compete right out of the gate. Oscar Lindberg had a similar procedure done last season, albeit on both hips, but given how long it took him to get into game shape, you could see why Vegas may rethink their decision.

Coincidentally, Joe just did a expansion draft preview on Jesper Fast so the timing of all this couldn’t have been planned much better.