Washington Capitals defenseman Vincent Desharnais is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing an appendectomy on Thursday, the team announced.
Desharnais leads the Caps in plus/minus at plus-9 and is averaging over 19 minutes of ice time, while partnering with Martin Fehervary as the team's second defensive pairing.
Desharnais, 30, is in his first season with the team after signing a four-year, $16.8 million deal in the offseason. He was placed on injured reserve on Friday.
Now in his fifth season, Desharnais has also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and last year for the San Jose Sharks.
Washington (5-4-0) next plays Saturday night at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
With Desharnais on IR, the Caps recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from the AHL. Top goaltender Logan Thompson has a lower-body injury and has missed multiple days of practice since starting the team's last game Tuesday. Charlie Lindgren will likely make his third start of the season on Saturday.