Dave Bolland hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since December 2015 and the reality is the forward may never play again, says agent Anton Thun.
The 30-year-old, who appeared in 25 games with the Florida Panthers last season, was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes in August along with prospect Lawson Crouse for draft picks.
“He’s working towards trying to (play), but again injuries are what they are. He’s been trying to comeback from that injury for the last nine months and he hasn’t gotten to the stage where he can do that to be cleared,” said Thun. “His goal is to try to continue to play, but at some point in time, it may just be not happening. He may never play again.”
Bolland registered one goal and four assists in 25 games last season and did not play again following a Dec. 12 game in Boston.
The Mimico, Ont. native has spent the past nine months trying to recover from a back injury, which is also hampering is ability to recover from an ankle issue.
“He’s trying to rehab. He’s seeing doctors on a quarterly basis, every three months to update them on the progress. At this point in time, he hasn’t been cleared,” Thun said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed, but there’s no guarantee.”
Bolland did not pass his physical last month and will likely start the season on injured reserve. He still has two more seasons after 2016-17 remaining on his five-year, $27.5 million deal, which carries a cap hit of $5.5 million.
Originally a 2004 second round pick of the Blackhawks, Bolland has appeared in 433 career NHL games with Chicago, Toronto and Florida scoring 85 goals and 208 points to go along with 299 penalty minutes.
