Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - The Vancouver Canucks announced Thursday that center Manny Malhotra has been placed on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the season.
"The long term health of Manny Malhotra is of utmost importance to our organization," said president and general manager Mike Gillis in a statement. "Throughout his career Manny has showcased his indispensability through skilled play, being a consummate professional and leader in the room while also continuously giving back to the community. Manny will continue to be a valued member of our organization."
Malhotra missed Tuesday's game against the Wild due to personal reasons.
The vague statement could be referring to Malhotra's vision problems. Malhotra was hit in the eye by a puck during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on March 16, 2011. He had two surgeries on his eye and was supposed to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.
However, Malhotra started light practice with the team in May and by the end of the month, he was cleared by doctors to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. After being held out of the lineup for Game 1, Malhotra played the rest of the series.
Malhotra, dealing with significant vision problems in his left eye, struggled in 2011-12. He finished the season with seven goals and 11 assists in 78 games.
The 32-year-old Ontario native had zero points in nine games this season.
Selected by the New York Rangers with the seventh overall pick of the 1998 draft, Malhotra has 108 goals and 278 points in 864 games with the Rangers, Stars, Blue Jackets, Sharks and Canucks.
