Top Bruins go under knife
The Bruins belatedly released their injury list from the playoffs on Tuesday — and it’s a doozy.
The B’s announced that they may very well be starting the 2020-21 season without two thirds of their potent top line. On Sept. 16, David Pastrnak underwent right hip arthroscopy and labral repair, performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York by Dr. Bryan Kelley. According to the release, Pastrnak is targeted for a return in February.
He battled through the injury through the playoffs. In the first game of the series against Carolina, Pastrnak showed discomfort when he leaped in the air after Patrice Bergeron’s game-winning overtime goal, though he said later that he did not hurt himself in the celebration.
Brad Marchand, meanwhile, underwent a sports hernia repair, performed by Drs. Brian Busconi and Demetrius Litwin at UMass Memorial Medical Center on Sept. 14.
According to the release, Marchand is expected to return some time in January.
astly, No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy underwent a right knee arthroscopy, performed by Dr. Peter Asnis at Mass. General on Sept. 8. He has been
cleared to return to normal offseason activities and is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
Just when that will be remains a mystery. The league has set a target date for Jan. 1, but with the uncertainty due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that goal appears to be optimistic.
The news of the injuries comes on the heels of what many fans have felt has been an underwhelming free agency period for the team. The solid signing of five-time 20-goal scorer Craig Smith came only hours after the loss of Torey Krug in free agency. While there are still some good free agents on the board, the approximately $11 million left under the salary cap does leave much after factoring the money needed to sign RFAs Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk,
Karson Kuhlman Jakub Zboril and possibly UFA Zdeno Chara.
As the roster stands, a young player stands to get a tremendous opportunity on defense with no outside replacement for Krug coming in, whether it be Zboril or Urho Vaakanainen.
Now with Pastrnak expected to miss the start of the season, it could open up another spot. With the signing of Craig Smith, it had appeared that Jack Studnicka had been frozen out of a spot either at right wing or center but he could easily slide into the lineup with the absence of Pastrnak.
That could allow for some evaluation time to see if Studnicka is in fact ready for the NHL. If so, that could lead to an impactful trade.
B’s Note: Matt Grzelcyk’s arbitration hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 20.