Boston Bruins Injury Update: No Timetables For Miller And Kase

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney addressed the media on Wednesday and gave an update on injured defensemen Kevan Miller and Jeremy Lauzon as well as, forward Ondrej Kase.

In his first full season, Lauzon, paired on the top pairing with Charlie McAvoy, was exceeding expectations and becoming a solid shutdown guy next to the more two-way play of McAvoy. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played since Feb. 21 after suffering a fracture in his right hand. He’s scheduled to be reevaluated in 2-4 weeks but has been skating recently.

“Lauzon had surgery to hopefully help the healing process,” Sweeney said. “Dr. Leeman did the job that he generally does. He’ll help ‘Lauzy’, whose back on the ice, to continue to keep his legs. It’s just a matter of the healing process. It was always a four to six timeline, and we’ll re-evaluate that in four weeks and hopefully, he’s on the shorter side of that. Time will tell.”

Lauzon has three assists and is minus -2 in 16 games this season.

As for Miller, Sweeney reminded the media that after missing over a year and having two surgeries to repair his right kneecap, it was to be expected he would hit some speed bumps this season as he acclimated back to game action.

“Kevan is back on the ice and working his way back,” Sweeney said. “Had a setback from a volume standpoint, which we probably expected at some point in time over the course of the season with the layoff he’s had. He’s making some strides and Brandon, again, there is no timeline there. He feels better. But he’s not back on the ice and until that happens, we won’t have any indication of what direction he’s headed until he’s healthy.”

The Boston Bruins acquired Kase from the Anaheim Ducks for veteran center David Backes, prospect Axel Andersson, and a first round pick just prior to the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. When he came to the Boston Bruins, he was already suffering from his second concussion. He suffered another one during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in the NHL Toronto bubble and things haven’t gotten better for Kase this season. He was injured in the Bruins’ second game this season when he took a headshot early in the second period of a 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 16 and hasn’t played since.

“As far as Ondrej, he’s back on the ice, but there are zero timetables for when he returns,” Sweeney said of Kase who is believed to have suffered another concussion. “As you know, it’s just whatever medically allows him to continue to progress and he’ll do so. He’s eager to play, but sometimes things just take their own natural course to get past where he needs to.”

Kase didn’t register a point in those first two games. He had one assist in six regular season games last season and four assists in eleven playoff games with the Boston Bruins.