More bad news for Bruins
Mcavoy out six months after shoulder surgery
Another Friday afternoon brought more bad news on the medical front for the Boston Bruins
week after it was announced that Brad Marchand would miss six months after undergoing surgery on both hips, the B’s announced that Charlie Mcavoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Mike Reilly all underwent surgery on Friday and will also miss significant time.
The surprise whopper was MCAvoy, who underwent a left shoulder arthroscopic stabilization procedure performed by Dr. Tom Holovacs at Mass. General that will also keep him out for six months.
That will keep both the B’s No. 1 defenseman and their top scorer on the shelf until approximately Thanksgiving, which could very well throw the B’s playoff hopes into a tailspin before they even get to Christmas.
The Grzelcyk surgery — a right shoulder open stabilization procedure, also performed by Dr. Holovacs — was no surprise, but he, too, is expected to be out five months and will miss the start of the season.
Meanwhile, Reilly will miss three months after undergoing a right ankle tendon repair and removal of bone fragments. The surgery was performed in Green Bay, Wis., by Dr. Robert Anderson. While that timeframe could get Reilly back for the start of the season, it was believed that Reilly could have been a candidate to be moved in order to create some cap space with the B’s having five leftshot defenseman. But now two of them, Grzelcyk and Reilly, will be coming off surgery, no doubt hurting their value until they can get back on the ice.
In his season-ending press conference, team president Cam Neely said that, though he’s thought often about a major rebuild, he didn’t see the need for one in the near future. Whether this news changes the B’s approach remains to be seen.
Krejci intrigue continues
Meanwhile, the intrigue surrounding a possible David Krejci return to the Bruins is heating up.
Three days after B’s star wing David Pastrnak posted a curious video on Instagram with Krejci, the centerman’s club in the Czech Republic, HC Olomouc, posted a quote from Krejci on Twitter saying that he’s mulling his options.
“Today I’m flying to the USA, I’ll have another beer on the way to celebrate the bronze and then I’ll be calmly thinking what to do next,” said Krejci, according to a Google translation. “There’s plenty of time and a lot of possibilities, one of which is very real and the continuation of the Olomouc jersey.”
The tweet also contained a photo of Krejci on a plane downing a Pilsner Urquell.
Lest any B’s fans think he was headed straight to Boston to reenlist with the B’s, Krejci and his family make their offseason home in South Carolina and it’s a strong possibility that that’s where he was headed.
But Krejci certainly seems to be enjoying the will-he- or-won’the game that has piqued the interest of many B’s fans.
On Tuesday, Pastrnak posted the video in which he asks Krejci, “Are you coming back to Boston?” As the two are walking down the street, Pastrnak then pans the camera over to Krejci, who simply gives a long, coy smile.
Pastrnak and Krejci had just won a bronze medal in the World Championships played in Finland. That was after Krejci, who turned 36 on April 28, had played the season for his hometown team, where he notched 20-26- 46 totals in 51 games for Olomouc.
It’s not like the B’s couldn’t use a centerman of Krejci’s caliber. Captain Patrice Bergeron is mulling retirement and, while Erik Haula did a nice job as second-line center in the second half of the regular season, that did not carry over into the playoffs. But if Bergeron and/ or Krejci decide to return, the B’s would need to clear out some cap space. As of now, they are just approximately a couple of million under the cap for next season.
Last summer, Krejci made what appeared to be a very difficult decision to return to his homeland to play in front of his family and friends and where his Americanborn family could soak up some of his culture.
But in his farewell statement, Krejci did not completely shut the door on a return to the B’s.
“So for now, I want to thank all the Bruins fans for the support they have shown my family and I over the last 14 years. I will forever be thankful,” said Krejci in the statement.
“This is not a goodbye. I will not be a stranger. I will be a Bruin forever. I will see you at the TD Garden soon, and I will always bleed Black and Gold.”
That, of course, could be interpreted that he’d be back as a fan to root on the B’s from a TD Garden luxury suite. But as with the recent social media posts, Krejci’s intentions for now are in the eye of the beholder.