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A hit aimed towards St. Louis forward Alexander Steen by Boston Bruins center David Krejci has turned out to cause more damage to the B’s top-line center, as the club has announced that Krejci will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks with a partially torn MCL in his left knee.
Unless you count the hip ailment that kept Krejci in and out of the lineup for 20 games this year, the partial tear is Krejci’s first major injury since the broken wrist the Czech center suffered in the second-round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, an injury that put an end to his postseason.
The 28-year-old has seven goals and 26 points in 38 games this season, while the Bruins have a 20-12-6 mark with No. 46 in the lineup compared to a 9-9-3 record with Krejci out of action.
With a week to go before the NHL Trade Deadline, Ryan Spooner looks like the heir apparent to Krejci’s spot on Boston’s top line with Milan Lucic and David Pastrnak, but the Black and Gold front office could get tricky if/when they free up Krejci’s money (a $5.25 cap hit) by way of placing him on their long-term injured reserve, opening the door for a potential replacement via the trade market.
But in the now -- with an easy week on tap with games against the sans Ryan Miller Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Coyotes -- the Bruins could conceivably roll with No. 51 up top, and hope for Carl Soderberg (two goals and six points in his last 21 games) to get back into the early-season rhythm that had him paced for a 50-point season.
At the very best, the Bruins could see Krejci return to the action in late March, but a more realistic timeframe calls for Krejci to return in the final week of the regular season, if not the first round of postseason (if they can survive late-season pushes from Florida and Philadelphia).
The latter could be the best case scenario for Krejci and the B’s, too, as Krejci is a two-time playoff points leader, and has 29 goals and 77 points in 93 career playoff games.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com