Bruins issue first update on Justin Brazeau injury
The upper-body injury that took winger Justin Brazeau out of action Tuesday night in Nashville has already lingered into a one-game absence for the Bruins. And based on the latest word from the Bruins, it doesn’t sound like a return is imminent.
“Brazeau flew home [Wednesday], he’s seeing doctors [Thursday],” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said ahead of his team’s win over the Hurricanes on Thursday. “We’ll have a real good report [Friday] on the severity and length. It’s week-to-week right now.”
But speaking after Friday’s practice back in Boston, Montgomery said that there was nothing new to report on that front, and that the 26-year-old Brazeau remained in a week-to-week status.
Hard to tell exactly where he's hurting, but losing Brazeau right now would be a significant loss for the Bruins https://t.co/RE4j1qQ69J pic.twitter.com/Jgttrktozg
— Bear With Me (@BearWithMe_Pod) April 3, 2024
A true late-season surprise, the 6-foot-5 Brazeau had emerged as a legitimate bottom-six scoring threat for the Bruins this season, and tallied five goals and two assists in 19 appearances prior to the injury against Nashville, which came in a center-ice collision with Predators defenseman Luke Schenn.
What made Brazeau such a captivating fit for the Bruins was his net-front game, which has long been an area of growth for the club, and something the front office has repeatedly stressed wanting to have more of in crunch time and playoff situations.
And prior to the injury, Brazeau was frequently receiving in-game promotions up to Boston’s top-six forward group when the team was searching for a game-tying or go-ahead goal.
With Brazeau out on Thursday night, the Bruins slid Jakub Lauko into Brazeau’s spot on the right side of Boston’s fourth line, while Johnny Beecher moved to center and James van Riemsdyk played left wing. The Bruins also promoted fourth-line center Jesper Boqvist up to the third line between Jake DeBrusk and Trent Frederic while Morgan Geekie moved up to the right of Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand on the Black and Gold’s fourth line.
Brazeau’s exact injury and timeline will remain a complete mystery until otherwise noted by the club — and considering that we’re in secret season with the playoffs around the corner, I’m not sure how concrete of an update we’ll get if they still have a hope that he’ll return — and leaves the Bruins down a notable winger.
That’ll turn both Lauko and van Riemsdyk from in-and-out lineup presences to fixtures, at least until Pat Maroon is ready to jump into action for the Bruins. The Bruins, who brought Maroon with them on the final two games of their recent road swing, have circled Apr. 13 against Pittsburgh as the ‘best case scenario’ for a Maroon return.