Boston Bruins forward David Backes will undergo colon surgery Thursday and be out of the lineup for approximately eight weeks.
Bruins team internist Dr. David Finn has issued the following update:
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“David Backes will undergo surgery on Thursday, November 2 to remove a portion of his colon. The expected recovery time is approximately eight weeks. 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.
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. 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.”
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Backes has suited up in five games for the Bruins in 2017-18, registering one assist. He missed time earlier this season after undergoing treatment for diverticulitis.
This is the 33-year-old’s second year in Boston after spending a decade with the St. Louis Blues. He picked up 17 goals and 38 points in 74 games in 2016-17.
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