Boston Bruins
Hampus Lindholm Unlikely To Return For Bruins This Season
BRIGHTON, Mass. — Hampus Lindholm has missed the last 41 games for the Boston Bruins, and it’s unlikely he will play in another this season.
The defenseman has been out of commission since he blocked a shot in mid-November against the St. Louis Blues that broke his left kneecap. After Lindholm underwent surgery to repair the injury, the Bruins placed him on long-term injured reserve and initially determined him as being week-to-week. Months later, he’s still recovering.
“There was no real definitive timeline,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena. “I think we were very open about that. We really didn’t want to put a timeline on it because of the complexity of the injury. The healing process has gone long and has gone well. He’ll have no setbacks moving forward. That being said, it’s going to take a little more time to heal naturally, and we just don’t want to put a timeline on when he’ll be back to 100 percent.”
Lindholm seemed to be ramping up towards rejoining the team over the last few weeks, skating on his own and participating periodically in practice while wearing a non-contact jersey.
It was believed that Lindholm’s return to the lineup was inevitable following the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Instead, he’s effectively been shut down.
As if losing Lindholm for the rest of the year wasn’t bad enough already, Sweeney also said there is no timeline as to when Charlie McAvoy will return either as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury he suffered while playing for Team USA during the 4 Nations tournament.
READ MORE: Charlie McAvoy’s Injury Creates Long-Term Issues For Bruins (And Hockey)
Team USA’s medical staff provided initial treatment for McAvoy’s injury. However, tests later performed by the Bruins medical team determined it was much worse than originally thought and required urgent medical attention after it had become infected.
McAvoy spent three days in Mass General Hospital last week, where he underwent an irrigation and debridement procedure to treat the infection.
“We’re very grateful and appreciative to Dr. [Peter] Asnis and the medical staff that took care of Charlie,” said Sweeney. “The care that Charlie received here is what’s most important from the standpoint of where his health is at now, and that’s all that really matters.”
Boston was already facing an uphill battle to make the postseason, and it’s now that much more difficult without its top two defensemen for the foreseeable future.
The Bruins sit a point back of a playoff spot with a record of 27-24-7 and 24 games remaining on their schedule. They’ll host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
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