The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman, Alec Martinez, has been out since mid-November while dealing with injuries. However, after recent reports have come out that he’s hit a wall in his recovery, there isn’t many positive reports out there… Or is there?
Martinez, who missed time earlier in the season while dealing with an lower-body injury that he sustained against the Blues, is now dealing with a laceration right n
ext to his eye. This injury has not only caused problems for Martinez but also the organization.
It was reported a week ago how the organization and Martinez are upset with his progress to return to the ice. However, this injury has caused some problems with what I can only assume has to do with his vision. Which, you have to have good vision when playing hockey.
Martinez has previously shown up infrequently to Knights practices before being ruled out for a little bit. The inconsistencies have made it hard to get a feel on when he could return to the ice. However, there are some updates going around that could give us some insight.
The Golden Knights defenseman was seen at practice Monday wearing a regular grey jersey. Given the fact he’s been off the ice for a little bit, this shows that he is progressing once again.
Seeing as though he was out there in a full go jersey, it appears that he is in fact ready to return once again. That is barring any setbacks during this stretch off, which knowing the setbacks he’s already endured during his rehabilitation, a setback doesn’t seem like that much of a reach.
Martinez was a free agent this past off-season before re-signing with the Golden Knights for a 3yr/$15,750,000 or $5,250,000 per year, if you prefer that. However, that contract is already seemingly a bad move by the Knights given their current cap situation and the lack of games that he’s played this season.
When looking into the playoffs, having Martinez on the ice is going to be crucial if they want to win it all. However, they also can’t afford to just throw him out there if he’s not ready. These games from this point on are going to be incredibly crucial and they need to have the best lineup out there every night.
If the Golden Knights feel that Martinez is ready to return, the sooner the better. However, don’t rush anything if he’s not ready. He won’t do the Knights any good injured.