Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, who suffered a serious left eye injury when he was struck by an errant puck earlier this month, is set to undergo surgery aimed at saving the eye and his vision Tuesday.
Agent Paul Krepelka of the Orr Hockey Group confirmed the surgery would happen in New York on Tuesday but offered no further details, according to The Canadian Press.
The Canucks did not offer further details on Malhotra's condition, according to the report.
"I need my brother in law, Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, to have a successful eye surgery tomorrow saving his eye and vision," Steve Nash of the NBA'sPhoenix Suns said of the procedure on Monday on his Twitter account.
Nash's sister is married to Malhotra, who was hit in the eye in a game against Colorado on March 16 when a pass deflected off Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's stick and into his left eye. Malhotra, whose helmet was not equipped with a visor, underwent surgery later that night.
Nash has previously talked about the injury.
"That's scary," Nash said on March 21 at halftime of the Major League Soccer debut of the Vancouver Whitecaps, a team he partially owns. "I know he's a very tough guy and a great person but we're all just thinking about him and really worried and hoping he can come back, not only to play hockey but just get his vision back and be comfortable and live the life he deserves to live."
The Canucks announced on March 21 that Malhotra was out for the season. The loss comes as the Canucks, who have the best record in the NHL, gear up for a run at the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.
Malhotra was signed to a three-year, $7.5 million free agent contract last summer to anchor the Canucks' third line. He was second in the NHL with a 61.7 winning percentage on faceoffs and a key to Vancouver's penalty killing improving from 18th in the league to second when he was hurt.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
