CHICAGO – It’s not been the easiest of first seasons for the forward in a Blackhawks uniform as he’s dealt with injuries, a concussion, and back issues as of late.
Now it appears that Jujhar Khaira’s season will come to a close a few months early.
Per a release from the team, the forward underwent surgery on his lower back on Tuesday and will be out 10-to-12 weeks. Since the Blackhawks’ season ends on April 29th and they have a remote chance of playing in the playoffs, Khaira is most likely out the rest of the season.
The forward, who joined the Blackhawks after six seasons with the Oilers, hasn’t played since January 17th with the back issues and was recently put on long-term injured reserve. It’s the second major injury issue that he’s dealt with in 2021-2022, with a concussion against the Rangers suffered on December 7th knocking him out for about a month.
He was able to play in nine games in January before back issues crept in, forcing him out of the lineup for the end of January and all of February.
In the end, Khaira played 27 games for the Blackhawks this season with three goals in an average of 13:36 of ice time per contest. It’s the lowest amount of games he’s played in since his second year in the NHL with the Oilers, when he played in just ten contests.
At the moment, the Blackhawks are in the midst of a four-day break as they won’t hit the ice till Friday when the host the Devils at the United Center.