The off-season injury parade started off with the league's Art Ross Trophy winner, as Jamie Benn played a portion of the last few weeks with a hip ailment, but was still good enough to leapfrog through the scoring race to take the trophy. Fortunately for Benn, his surgery to both hips came in the middle of April, so he has ample time to recover for the start of training camp next season. He is expected to make a full recovery for the start of camp and by the look of some reports at the end of May, he has been responding well, so there should be nothing to worry about.
The Devils, another team that didn't make the playoffs this year, had one of their players go for off-season surgery, as forward Adam Henrique went for wrist surgery, not too long after the season had ended. The recovery time for that surgery was 4-to-6 weeks, which would have him back to being ready by June, so he should be 100% for training camp in September. Henrique had 43 points in 75 games last season and getting back to normal might mean a slight increase in his scoring next season.
The Winnipeg Jets were one of the first playoff teams to be ousted, which meant that they were the first playoff team to have players lining up for the operating room in the off-season. Defenseman Jacob Trouba was the first to go, as he underwent hand surgery at the beginning of May, expected to be 100% for training camp in September. Tobias Enstrom and Adam Pardy were also under the knife, both having to go through shoulder surgeries and both were reportedly successful, so the blueline for the Jets, arguably their best positional feature, should be in good shape for the start of the season.
For the Predators, they were without their captain for the last four playoff games against the Blackhawks, and that was one of the leading factors for their first round exit. Shea Weber suffered a knee injury, a subluxed knee cap, which needed surgery to repair at the end of April. The injury was serious enough to keep him out of the lineup for the last few games of the series, but with a 4-to-6 week recovery period, he should actually be close to being ready for his off-season training to begin.
The Ottawa Senators were unable to roll their blueline with defenseman Jared Cowen in the last month or so in the season and at the end of April, it was announced, albeit quietly, that the 24-year old defender would undergo an operation to repair a sports hernia. Cowen only played in 54 games in the 2015 season, scoring 3 goals and 9 points, nowhere near where his expectations or his projections had him at the beginning of the season. His status as a potential hockey pool defenseman may have been saved by word of an injury, but there will be a lot of doubt upon him going forward.
Shortly after the Capitals were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round of the playoffs, it was announced that Washington's number one centre, Nicklas Backstrom, underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure. Backstrom had an amazing season for the Capitals, but fell a bit short in the playoffs and a hip problem could certainly be a good reason for it, although, it was mentioned that Jamie Benn had a good finish to the season with a hip problem, but that wasn't exactly playoff hockey. Backstrom is expected to be ready to go in September, when camp opens.
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