Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks due to a non-displaced fracture in his left foot, the team announced Monday.
The 26-year-old winger has only missed two games since joining the Maple Leafs in 2012 in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers. With 14 goals and 29 points in 40 games, van Riemsdyk is the Maple Leafs’ leading scorer.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” captain Dion Phaneuf told the Toronto Star. “He’s a big part of our team. He’s so consistent. He brings it night in and night out. It’s a big loss.”
Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, has treated numerous fractures of the foot and ankle at his office in Delray Beach, Fla., and although not much information is known at this time, can offer insight into what exactly van Riemsdyk’s treatment and recovery could entail.
“Since he has a non-displaced fracture it means they won’t have to perform any surgery,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “At three weeks, they’ll X-ray it to make sure there’s bone granulation, which is the formation of the bone callus that acts bridge of woven bone between the fracture fragments.”
Dr. Goldbaum was also quick to point out that, despite even the most positive outlooks, it’s unlikely that van Riemsdyk has any chance of returning before the team’s current 6-to-8 week estimate.
“It takes six weeks for bone to mend,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “They might utilize a bone stimulator, which sends an electrical charge into the bone to bring the two ends of the bone together and speed up the healing process, but I’d still put his minimum recovery time around six weeks to be safe.”
That being said, Dr. Goldbaum believes that the fact van Riemsdyk isn’t undergoing surgery bodes well for his future on the ice.
“I’d say it’s a good sign,” he said. “It means that the injury did not occur on an area where the bone is being pulled by a muscle. The fracture is there, it just needs to come back together. If there was something pulling on it, they’d immediately need to go in and insert a screw or other form fixation device.”
The Maple Leafs (16-17-7) are currently in seventh place in the Atlantic Division.
Similar Injuries
Paul Stastny: The St. Louis Blues forward was recently injured while blocking a shot in the second period of a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 16. Stastny returned to the lineup on Nov. 23 after missing 16 games with a broken right foot.
Alexander Ovechkin: The Washington Capitals’ captain sustained a hairline fracture while blocking a shot in Game 6 of the 2013 Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the New York Rangers. He did not miss any time, playing in Game 7 the next night and then at the IIHF World Championship days later. He waited until after playing for Russia in Stockholm to have an MRI.
It’s unclear exactly how much time Ovechkin would have missed had the injury occurred during the regular season. But roughly one month after hanging up his skates for the season, he told the Washington Post that he was “walking fine.”
Nathan MacKinnon: The Colorado Avalanche forward missed the final month of the 2014-15 regular season after taking a puck to the foot on two separate occasions down the home stretch. The initial foot injury occurred when he blocked a shot on Feb. 22 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he would continue to play for a few more weeks before a second MRI revealed a fracture.
MacKinnon’s recovery time was set at 6-8 weeks.
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16244 S. Military Trail #290, Delray Beach, FL 33445
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