Nashville defenceman Ryan Ellis will need a full six months to recover from off-season knee surgery, and general manager David Poile says they don't expect him back until possibly 2018.
Poile gave an update on injuries Thursday to Ellis and centre Nick Bonino after a rookies' practice.
Ellis was injured during the Stanley Cup Final that Nashville lost in six games to Pittsburgh.
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Poile says Ellis had knee surgery during the off-season and that doctors want to take it slower with Ellis' recovery, using a full six months.
That schedule would have the defenceman returning around the end of this year.
Poile says Bonino, who broke a foot in the Final, is skating and hopefully will be ready to play near the start of the season.