Sharks' Knyzhov out 8-10 weeks after surgery for lower-body injury

San Jose Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov will undergo surgery Friday for a lower-body injury and will miss 8-10 weeks, the team announced Sunday, according to The Athletic.

The Sharks were initially hopeful that Knyzhov's injury would heal on its own, but head coach Bob Boughner revealed earlier this week that the 23-year-old's "progression sort of stalled," per The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

Knyzhov sparkled last season for the Sharks during his rookie campaign, spending most of it paired with Erik Karlsson. He put up 10 points in 59 games while averaging 16:44 minutes of ice time a night. The 6-foot-2 left-handed shot had the third-most hits among all Sharks skaters with 84 and only 13 giveaways, according to Natural Stat Trick. He was voted the Sharks' rookie of the year.