Nathan Horton’s back injury is a perplexing one. Information regarding his degenerative back condition has been fairly limited and a predicted recovery time has been nonexistent. Some have suggested Horton will be on the shelf for a considerable amount of time while others paint a far worse picture. One report suggests that Horton’s career may be in jeopardy.
As seen on Sportsnet.ca, one anonymous player has supposedly heard that Horton’s playing days are over. Here’s the excerpt from the article:
During a season-preview conversation with one player, he asked: “Have you heard that Nathan Horton will never play again? That’s the rumour.” Well, no I hadn’t. The Blue Jackets say they don’t believe it’s that bad, Horton is committed to his rehab and they’ll see how it goes. Whatever the case, it appears his back injury is worse than we realized.
That may just be the rumor circulating through the NHL, but it’s clear that Horton’s status doesn’t look good. The information that has surfaced doesn’t state his career is in jeopardy, but it does make it sound like a very long-term situation. Horton has stated he’s dedicated to rehabilitation, but there’s no word on how long that might take or what exactly that will involve. The other question which must be asked involves what kind of shape he’d be in if he was cleared to play again. Would one bump or big check negate all of his rehab? Would he even be effective out on the ice following this injury?
What happens if Horton is out of the picture for the long-term future? Then it might be time for Columbus to make a trade.
Told #CBJ would consider pursuit of a big-ticket, top-6 winger if it sees no end in sight to Nathan Horton's back woes.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 7, 2014
