Bieksa’s Bad Break

In light of the Ian White non-trade from yesterday, here’s more unconfirmed news about the Canucks.

Via a tweet, Dan Murphy (Sportsnet) has the following tidbit:

I’m hearing Bieksa is going to be out around 3 weeks with a fracture in his left foot. Not confirmed by team yet tho. Oberg on his way up.

Which was then followed up by Jim Jamieson (Vancouver Sun), also via Twitter:

No Oberg at Canucks skate. Bieksa only player missing. Saw him outside room with walking boot on left foot, working on sticks.

If there is a better top-six around the league than the group the Canucks have on IR/LTIR, I’d like to know. I mean, Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler, Ballard, Alberts and Sweatt form a pretty formidable group. It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Bieksa, especially considering he’s worked hard to go from the fans’ doghouse to be, arguably, the team’s best overall defenseman this season.

That said, there at least appears to be some light at the end of the injury tunnel.

Canuck Keith Ballard, who sprained his knee five games ago, should be playing next week. Dan Hamhuis has started light workouts, and surgeries to Andrew Alberts (wrist) and Alex Edler (back) were successful.

So Gillis doesn’t have to make a trade, like the media-imagined one for White. He merely has to be patient.

“I’m confident that all of them will be back,” Gillis said Wednesday. “With Dan, you’re always reluctant to discuss any kind of prognosis when it comes to a concussion, so I’m not going to do that. He seems to be progressing well, but there’s always an element of uncertainty.

“Keith seems to be a little bit ahead of schedule and doing quite well. Andrew’s surgery was successful and we fully expect him to be 100 per cent come playoff time. And Alex Edler is moving along on schedule. There haven’t been any setbacks or hiccups.”

You just have to hope that, until the walking wounded return to the lineup, the remaining group of Ehrhoff, Tanev, Rome, Salo, Sauve and Oberg can hold the fort.