I think the extended layoff during Covid will do wonders for his long term health. He cuts his first season back in two years short but still with a strong workload and respectable amount of games played for the season. It allows him to go away and reflect on what worked and what didnt and tweak his management of his back issues. Hes avoided re-injury of the back and now gets another 6 months to work on strength and fitness to hopefully put all of those issues behind him for good. This is before he even reflects on how well he's played and what he can improve on hockey wise.
For those still interested in his back injuries and possible causes and outcomes you should have a look at the career of a cricketer named Pat Cummins. He debuted in international cricket at the age of 18 and was man of the match in his first game. For a cricketer to play international cricket at 18 happens about once every 30 years, its a game where most guys make it to that level after the age of 25. But after that first game he suffered from stress fractures in his back from the twisting forces of bowling. He did not play another international game for 6 years, consistently coming back from injury 9-12months later only to re-injure himself again on return. Finally after 6 years his back settled down and he has not had an injury for 3 years and is now one of the best players in the game. Its a common injury for young bowlers and generally the only real fix is time to let the body harden its bones as you age. They share a lot of traits with Vilardi, Tall young guys who use a repetitive twisting motion while playing. His injuries, timeframes and treatment reminded me a lot of what is spoken about with back injuries in cricket bowlers and I wouldn't be surprised if stress fractures were the underlying issue. Even the diagnosis had similar traits, no visible injury during games, they just wake up the next day sore and end up being out for the next 9 months.
