The Arizona Coyotes will play out their season without a postseason appearance and without Martin Hanzal.
Coach Dave Tippett confirmed to press Thursday that Hanzal is still dealing with an upper-body injury and won’t be in the lineup for the final two games of the season.
“It’s disappointing,” said Tippet. “He’s a key part of our team. Hopefully he can get healthy soon and be ready to go next year.”
Hanzal went out of the lineup on March 31, cutting yet another season short of a full run. The 29-year-old hasn’t played more than 65 games in a single season since the 2009-10 campaign.
This year he experienced a resurgence of offensive output playing with Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. He scored 13 goals and 41 points. Despite the truncated season, 41 points is a career-best mark.
Prior to next season, he’s expected to be a part of the Czech team at the 2016 World Cup.