Canes’ Wisniewski has torn ACL, will need surgery

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman James Wisniewski has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that will require surgery, the team said Friday. The recovery period is about six months.

Wisniewski, obtained in an offseason trade with Anaheim, was injured Thursday early in the Canes’ season opener against the Nashville Predators.

“He was battling for a puck and a (Preds) guy kind of fell down when ‘Wiz’ outmuscled him,” Canes defenseman John-Michael Liles said Friday. “It was how (Wisniewski) planted and the ice at Nashville is known to have some pretty big ruts. I don’t know if he got caught in a rut, but as soon as he went down and grabbed at his knee, obviously it doesn’t look good. It’s tough.”

Wisniewski, 31, was traded in June to the Canes in exchange for goalie Anton Khudobin. He is in his 11th NHL season, after notching eight goals and 26 assists in 69 games last season with Columbus and Anaheim in 2014-15.

This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Canes’ Wisniewski has torn ACL, will need surgery."