We knew injuries in a condensed schedule like this was bound to happen but damn does it suck when it comes all at once. First Chris Kelly went down with a busted tibia, then David Krejci almost got a puck-sized hole blown through his knee. And then last night we saw Adam McQuaid go head first into the boards… again. Happens twice a year. Now it's being reported that he's out 3-4 weeks with a strained shoulder:
"Adam sustained a shoulder strain and will return to Boston for further evaluation by the Bruins medical staff. It is anticipated that he may be out 3-4 weeks."
McQuaid has skated in 25 games this season and has registered one goal and three assists with 49 penalty minutes.
Sounds more like a dislocated shoulder than a strained shoulder but whatevs. This sucks 'cause Boston's defense has been un-Boston like this season and now there's a chence Ference will be teamed up with *gulp* Aaron Johnson. Yikes.
A Bruins spokesman said there was no immediate corresponding move to bring a defenseman up from the Providence Bruins.
So that means Boston extra defenseman Aaron Johnson will get back into the Bruins lineup after playing last week when McQuaid missed a game with an upper body issue. That appearance snapped 19 straight games as a healthy scratch for Johnson, a nine-year NHL veteran who brings good ability in the defensive zone to the table.
Nineteen games of rust. Oh boy. Could a trade be in Boston's future, though? From Boston.com:
McQuaid’s injury underscores the need to acquire defensive depth via the trade market prior to the April 3 deadline.
Yep. Chia needs a shutdown d-man and another offensive scorer (or two). Chiarelli's usually realy conservative at the trade deadline but with these injuries and holes it'll be interesting to see what he does.
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