Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
The Marian Gaborik trade was supposed to provide the Columbus Blue Jackets the star scorer to add a turbo-boost to their playoff hopes. After losing Rick Nash last offseason and bringing in Gaborik from the New York Rangers for the price of Derik Brassard and John Moore this April, Columbus possessed a player with more career goals than the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, the departed Nash.
While the move was proved positive for both Columbus and Gaborik, 2013′s end result is that they fell short of a Western Conference playoff berth by finishing with the ninth-seed. Now, with Gaborik set to turn 32 soon, the veteran forward will undergo surgery this offseason. The Puck-Rakers Blog relayed comments from Blue Jackets camp after the news of Gaborik’s abdominal surgery was released last week.
“Marian experienced some soreness towards the end of the season and after undergoing his exit physical and further examination today, it was decided that surgery is the best option for a quick and full recovery,” said Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson. “Marian will have the surgery and after a three to four week recovery period will be able to resume off-season training.”
There is a fair amount of evidence that has been bandied about showing how most prolific goal scorers fall from their peak at about age 27, and Gaborik will soon clear that hurdle by a half-decade. While the short-term results of this deal saw Gaborik come through to notch seven points near the end of the season, how the aging winger performs in his upcoming contract year should help provide the final grade on this trade.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
