The San Jose Sharks got a bit of both good and bad news this week. On Monday, Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson underwent successful surgery on his injured left forearm. The fact that the surgery was successful is the good news. The bad news is that he is not going to be re-evaluated until mid-March at the earliest.

It's a tough pill to swallow for the Sharks, who are battling in the Western Conference for one of the final playoff spots.

Entering Wednesday night, San Jose is 21-19-2, with 44 points. That is tied with the Calgary Flames for fourth place in the Pacific Division. However, Calgary has five games in hand over the Sharks.

Barring a complete turnaround, reaching the top of the conference is likely out of reach. That means they will have to beat out the teams right around them. The Edmonton Oilers are only two points behind them, but also have four games in hand. Even the Vancouver Canucks are within striking distance, only three points back.

Karlsson, the alternate captain of the Sharks, was having another solid year. He had posted eight goals and 18 assists, while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time per game once again.

Karlsson's premier seasons are clearly behind him. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice in 2012 and 2015 as the NHL's best all-around defenseman. He played the first nine seasons of his career with the Ottawa Senators, where he was considered one of the best defenseman in the game for the majority of that time.