Boston Bruins center and right wing David Backes will miss about eight weeks with after undergoing colon surgery.
Backes, 33, returned to the lineup two weeks ago after being sidelined for the start of 2017-18 with an acute case of diverticulitis, an often painful inflammation of the digestive track. Dr. David Finn said that an infection caused surgery to be necessary.
The injury will definitely hurt the Bruins, especially with Ryan Spooner and David Krejci banged up to start the year. Also, Backes, a power-forward, brings a unique skill of being able to play center and wing effectively. He also can score, and fight.
Backes, 33, has scored one point, an assist, in five games this season. In his NHL career for the Bruins and St. Louis Blues (where he was a captain for some time), Backes has scored 223 goals and 276 assists for exactly 499 points (so he\’ll have a milestone marker to achieve when he returns) in 806 games.
As a corresponding move, forward Jordan Szwarz was recalled from Providence (AHL).
Szwarz, 26, has played in 35 career NHL games in 2013-14 and 2014-15 for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, scoring four points, all goals.
CarterHud 