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Arizona Coyotes Forward Tobias Rieder Injured At World Championships

By Jason Harrison |
Mar 12, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Arizona Coyotes center Tobias Rieder (8) during the face off against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rexall Place. Arizona Coyotes won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Arizona Coyotes center Tobias Rieder (8) during the face off against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rexall Place. Arizona Coyotes won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Coyotes forward Tobias Rieder was injured while playing with Germany at the 2016 World Championships.

The Arizona Coyotes received some bad news after Germany’s matchup against Canada.

Forward Tobias Rieder was injured while playing with the German team at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

Rieder is expected to miss at least four to six weeks with an injury to his interior ligament of his left knee.

The young speedster suffered the injury when colliding with Corey Perry during Germany’s matchup with Canada.

Thanks Perry! Even in the offseason you find new ways for us to dislike you.

“The loss hits us hard. Tobias is an important part of our team on and off the ice,” German head coach Marco Sturm said. Ditto that for the Coyotes.

The bad news for Tobias Rieder revolves around his status with the Arizona Coyotes. Rieder’s contract expired at the end of the 2015-16 season and the 23-year-old is now a restricted free agent.

While it’s a virtual certainty that the team will bring Tobi back, injuries during contract time always make both sides a little squeamish.

It would seem doubtful that such a short term injury would affect negotiations too strongly, but it is something for new general manager John Chayka and company to consider. After all, Rieder’s best asset is his speed which allows him to blow past and wear down opponents. Even at the tender age of 23, ligament damage to the knee is not something you want to hear about or deal with.

Particularly when your game is built so heavily on skating circles around the opposition.

It also may impact his selection to the Team Europe roster for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey by costing him a shot to impress throughout the rest of the World Championships.

If I were Chayka, Tippett, and the Arizona Coyotes, however…I might not be so upset about his absence from that tournament shortly after recovering from this injury.

Rieder set career highs in goals (14), assists (23), and points (37) for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015-16 season. He’s a young, vibrant piece of the team’s future so any injury news, no matter how big or small, is cause for concern.

The German winger was voted the team’s hardest working player after the 2014-15 season and built on that body of work with the Coyotes in 15-16.

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Once he’s in the clear to begin rehab, it’s a pretty safe bet that Tobias Rieder will attack this setback in the same way he plays on the ice.

Full throttle.

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