Per reports, San Jose Sharks top faceoff man Nico Sturm revealed that his injury is something he has been dealing with for over a year.

Per reports, San Jose Sharks top faceoff man Nico Sturm revealed that his injury is something he has been dealing with for over a year.

Sturm told The Mercury News that he had surgery done last Friday to correct an issue on the inside of his right hand.

Sturm is currently third in the NHL in FOW% at 62.2%. He is a key penalty killer and faceoff taker for the Sharks. He credits a lot of work to the Sharks training staff for making him available to play at full strength. 

"They do such a good job, but it was just at the point where there was so much inflammation in there," Sturm told the Mercury News today. "Realistically, I probably would continue to miss games and then come back with treatment. It's just at that point where it's like, let's just bite the bullet and just get it fixed."

Sturm's ability to understand the little details on faceoffs is among the league's top. With Sturm out of the lineup, the Sharks have struggled in the faceoff circle.

San Jose had a 35.7 faceoff % against the Arizona Coyotes. Against the Colorado Avalanche, they had a 38.2% faceoff % and a 46.2 faceoff % against the Los Angeles Kings. 

"I have to do my faceoffs and everything," Sturm told the Mercury News. "[If] I can't do that … I'm not going to play if I'm not 100%. I'm not going to come back and be like, 'Oh, I'll play the wing because I can't play center because I can't use my hand.' If it's 100%, it's 100%. It's tough to say when that's going to be."

According to Sharks head coach David Quinn, there is no timetable for Sturm's return. 

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