Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Raffi Torres had surgery on September 26 to repair a torn ACL, and he believes that he’s progressing nicely following the procedure. He’s traveling with the team during their five-game road trip, but there’s still no timetable for his return to San Jose’s lineup.
Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com caught up with the injured forward to find out how he was doing:
"Great, great, things are good. I’m starting to push it a little bit more on the ice, so it’s getting better. As long as there’s no setbacks, we’ll keep pushing forward a little bit more."
According to Kurz, Torres skated on October 24 in Boston, but experienced swelling in his knee after the action. He hasn’t suffered another setback since then though, and seems to be in good spirits as he progresses.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
While his return isn’t imminent, Torres will add some much-needed sandpaper to San Jose’s lineup when he does return. The Sharks went out and got Mike Brown to try and fill that void, but Torres is more than just a goon. He’s a solid bottom-six player, and it’s been tough to replace his intangibles in the lineup so far this season.
Even when the Sharks were loading up on wins in October, there was a particular element that wasn’t available to head coach Todd McLellan. While he has plenty of talent and speed at his disposal, there’s not a lot of grit wearing teal at the moment. With the big-bodied Brent Burns out of the lineup, sandpaper is almost nonexistent.
Unlike Martin Havlat, who returned and was given a spot on the roster for offensive purposes, Torres knows exactly what his role will be with the team when he comes back. That could be a ways away still, but he’ll be a welcome addition whenever his ACL is deemed strong enough to hold up to the rigors of NHL action.
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