Islanders D-man Mike Mottau will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury that will require surgery.

It’s been a tough go for the veteran D-man who hasn’t played in several weeks after taking a puck to the eye in an earlier game against Atlanta. Mottau suffered blurred vision as a result of the injury but is expected to make a full recovery. Sources say he has regained about 90-95% of his vision up to this point.

Once Mottau was medically cleared to begin working out he began experiencing pain in his hip. An MRI revealed multiple issues including a tear that will force him to sit out the remainder of the year. He’s consulting with multiple Doctors and will have the surgery in the coming weeks. Mottau will have the entire off-season to recover and is expected to be fully healed by training camp next fall. There’s a decent chance he wears a shield for the remainder of his career.     

Anyone notice D-man Keith Yandle is the Phoenix Coyotes leading scorer? He’s also a restricted free agent after this season and is set to receive a significant raise off of his current $1.3 million salary. Phoenix has indicated they would like to get something done but GM Don Maloney’s hands are tied until the new Ownership takes over. Coming off a 41 point season, Yandle is on pace for a 50 plus point campaign which will put him in a separate category. Yandle and the Coyotes will be paying attention to the upcoming contracts signed by other RFA D-men including Shea Weber, Jack Johnson, and Drew Doughty. Yandle is perfectly happy playing in the desert as he’s taken on a leadership role with the Coyotes while playing around 24 minutes a game.

More to come,

Andy Strickland