Columbus Blue Jackets forward Max Domi, who was expected to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing shoulder surgery in June, will make his pre-season debut tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
When announcing a labral tear in his shoulder would require surgery on June 4, the Blue Jackets believed Domi would make a full recovery in five to six months.
Tears in the labrum, the rubbery tissue lining the ball-and-socket joint of the shoulder, destabilize the joint and can cause decreased range of motion and pain.
With effective treatment, the majority of athletes who sustain labrum tears can return to at least 80 per cent of their pre-injury ability, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery, the top orthopaedic hospital in the United States.
Domi, 26, had nine goals and 24 points in 54 games for Columbus this past season, his first with the Blue Jackets after being acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens along with a 2020 third-round pick (which became defenceman Samuel Knazko) in exchange for forward Josh Anderson.
The Winnipeg native has one year remaining on a two-year, $10.6-million contract he signed with the Blue Jackets in the wake of the trade.