The Boston Bruins’ season continues to take unexpected twists and turns. In the latest twist, head coach Marco Sturm discussed the injury to one of the club’s top blueliners.
In the latest Bruins injury update, Sturm told the media on Monday that Hampus Lindholm could be out for some time.
Sturm stated the following:
“I think it’s hopefully not too long, but he’s definitely going to be out for a little bit.”
Henri Jokiharju & Tanner Jeannot could both return Tues.
That’s a tough break for the Bruins, as they have already lost Lindholm for seven games this season. What makes the situation even more baffling is that it’s unclear when the injury occurred. Lindholm played a total of 22:47 in the Bruins’ overtime win in Vancouver on Saturday night.
Thus far, it’s unclear what sort of injury it might be. Again, Lindholm did not show any signs of being hurt in his last game.
Then again, he might have been grinding through something. But it just got to the point where he couldn’t go on.
Be that as it may, the Bruins will be down one of their top blueliners. Lindholm has been a steady defensive defenseman this season, while also chipping in offensively. The 31-year-old has three goals and 11 assists in 14 games this season.
Lindholm will join Michael Callahan and Jordan Harris among the Bruins’ wounded blueliners. Fans will be hoping to get further information on Lindholm’s injury timeline soon enough.
Bruins Could Get Blueliner Back in the Lineup
On the flipside, Henri Jokiharju could be returning to the Bruins’ blue line on Tuesday night against the Seattle Kraken.
Jokiharju has been out for over a month with an unknown ailment. His return is a welcome one as Jokiharju would fill a valuable spot in the Bruins’ back end.
The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman was a former first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was a deadline pickup last year from the Buffalo Sabres. Since joining the Bruins, Jokiharju has had mixed results. This season, he’s notched six assists in 25 games.
The Bruins still have hopes for Jokiharju. He’s young enough to where he could still have a high enough ceiling to remain a part of Boston’s top four defenseman.
Injuries Might Determine Boston’s Deadline Plans
The Boston Bruins’ trade deadline plans may hinge on injuries. At the moment, the Bruins have three defensemen on the shelf. As such, GM Don Sweeney may look at the trade market for depth defensive help.
While the market isn’t precisely ripe with available blueliners, the hope would be that a solid, depth option may emerge at some point. The animal spirits could be returning to the trade market sooner rather than later. Perhaps at that point, the Bruins could find a suitable fill-in.
Some big-name blueliners like Rasmus Andersson and potentially one of Owen Power or Bowen Byram may be available. However, that’s not something the Bruins may have an eye on. Instead, Boston could be looking at a lower-priced alternative to fill a gap moving forward.
The Bruins remain three points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. So, there might still be plenty of motivation to add at the deadline this season.
Bruins Got Injury News They Did Not Expect