Jujhar Khaira’s interruption-laden season has likely met a premature end.
Khaira underwent lower-back surgery Tuesday at Northwestern Hospital, the Blackhawks announced Wednesday.
He’s expected to be “out of hockey activities” for 10-12 weeks. With just over nine weeks left in the 2021-22 NHL regular season, this likely concludes his first year with the Hawks.
It certainly hasn’t been the season the 27-year-old forward imagined when he signed a two-year contract with the Hawks in free agency last summer. He suffered a concussion on a scary collision with Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba on Dec. 7 that sidelined him for nearly a month, then played just nine more games before his back injury sprang up on Jan. 18.
He’ll presumably finish the season with three goals — spaced out on Nov. 9, Nov. 26 and Jan. 8 — and zero assists in 27 games, averaging 13:36 of ice time.
This story will be updated.