Steve Sullivan: Done For Good?

As if the Alexander Radulov story wasn't giving Preds fans enough heartburn already, it appears that spunky scoring star Steve Sullivan could pretty much be done like Christmas roast.

After suffering a nasty back injury back on February 22, 2007, Sullivan has not seen a single second of NHL action, and missed all of last season recovering and rehabilitating.

While Sullivan has recently done some very light skating, the latest news can't be seen as anything but bad.

"Day-to-day life is a lot better. I still can't play golf. I can only kick a soccer ball for a little while. I have to be careful with what I do, but I am definitely getting stronger. I can see some improvement."

Sully recently hosted a charity golf tournament, and couldn't even make a full swing of a club. This after more than a year of trying to rehab this back injury.

Back injuries can be extremely debilitating, and Sullivan's injury seems to be healing quite slowly. If the guy can't even handle a full swing of a golf club, how could he possibly handle the stress of an NHL game?

At this point, Sullivan is an old man (in hockey terms) and one has to wonder how his back would respond to one solid bodycheck. One shock from a 220lbs defensemen could easily turn his spine into a jigsaw puzzle.

I'd be quite surprised if Sullivan makes it back to the NHL, and it might just be best if he retired while he can still walk without a lot of pain and strain.