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After missing the first five games of the regular season with diverticulitis, and with the likelihood of another episode affecting him this season, the Bruins have made the decision to surgically remove part of Backes’ colon, a decision and procedure that is expected to put the 33-year-old forward out of action for the next eight weeks.
"Backes will undergo surgery on November 2 to remove a portion of his colon,… team internist Dr. David Finn confirmed through an email release Wednesday. “The decision to have surgery was made in consultation with team physicians as well as outside specialists in the management of diverticulitis. David’s episode of diverticulitis at the beginning of the season was his second episode in two months and was complicated with an abscess (collection of infection adjacent to the colon) that required drainage. Repeated episodes, like what David experienced, have a very high likelihood of recurrence in the near term, which is why he was advised to have surgery to remove the area of colon causing the problem. It was determined that attempting to delay the surgery until after the season was an unacceptable risk to his health.…
The decision comes after Backes has skated in five games since being cleared, with one assist and 19 hits over that span, and with the Bruins holding a 4-3-3 record on the year.
“David was cleared to play in the team’s games on October 19 while waiting for his colon to properly heal from the most recent episode of diverticulitis which sidelined him for the first five games of the 2017-18 season,… Dr. Finn acknowledged. “David was at no additional risk while playing during this period, and he is having the surgery as soon as the medical team felt comfortable moving forward with the operation."
Backes' injury just continues what's been a year-long decimation of B's centers, with the hard-hitting forward joining David Krejci (upper-body) and Ryan Spooner (groin) on the shelf.
Jordan Szwarz was an emergency recall from Providence following the news. The 26-year-old Szwarz has recorded five goals (leads team) and three assists for eight points (tied for the second-most on the team) in six games with Providence this season. The 5-foot-11 forward has appeared in 35 career NHL games, totaling four goals and 21 penalty minutes.
Backes is in the second year of a five-year, $30 million contract signed in July 2016.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.