After blocking a shot on Monday, veteran Vancouver forward Chris Higgins left the preseason match against the San Jose Sharks and did not return. On Tuesday, he was seen at the rink in a walking boot and Tuesday night the Canucks confirmed that the injury was worse than initial reports implied.
Higgins suffered “a bone fracture” in his foot, the team announced. He’s expected to miss at least three weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated.
That means that the 32-year-old winger will be missing the early part of the season, opening the door for a talented younger player to grab some potential top six minutes. (Jake Virtanen, anyone?)
Higgins (who isn’t the current assist of the year frontrunner, who is also named Chris Higgins) spent most of his season last year centered by Nick Bonino, scoring 12 goals and 24 assists through 77 games.
The Smithtown native has spent the last five seasons with the Canucks and has two years left on his contract with an AAV of $2.5 million.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
