Arizona Coyotes Veteran Forward Out Indefinitely

Arizona Coyotes forward Jay Beagle will be out indefinitely after having core muscle surgery.

Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong noted that Beagle could end up missing the rest of the season, but time will tell if that comes to fruition. At a minimum, he won't be back for at least eight weeks.

The Coyotes acquired Beagle during the offseason from the Vancouver Canucks as a part of the trade that sent Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson the other way. In 21 games with the Coyotes as an alternate captain, the 36-year-old has a goal and sports a minus-11 rating. It hasn't been the strongest of campaigns for the veteran center, and it's possible that he may not have another chance to turn it around.

Beagle is in the final year of his contract. With this, the Coyotes will be without his expensive $3 million cap hit for next season. This season could be his last in the NHL, especially when looking at his lack of production this campaign.

The Coyotes claimed forward Riley Nash off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday afternoon. With this, he is set to serve as Beagle's replacement in the bottom six.

Here's to hoping that Beagle has a speedy recovery and can come back at some point during this season.