If the Boston Bruins defense situation wasn’t already a problem, it is now. It was announced by the team this morning Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a herniated disc in his back, and is expected to miss 8 weeks, with a scheduled return sometime around Thanksgiving.
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Per the team: “Seidenberg is scheduled to undergo a lumbar microdisectomy on Thursday, September 24 to repair a lumbar spine disc herniation. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Louis Jenis at Massachusetts General Hospital. Seidenberg is expected to make a full recovery and will be sidelined approximately eight weeks.”
Seidenberg played in all 82 games last season, but has yet to skate in training camp this fall and has missed the first two preseason games with an upper body injury. This puts even more pressure on younger players like Zach Trotman and Colin Miller to step up, and gives Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid less room for error as second pairing defensemen.
Puck Prose
For a position that has undergone more criticism this offseason than any other, the Seidenberg news does this team no favors. It appeared the plan was to head into the season with the relatively thin group they already had, and make a move based on how well they play. But the timetable on adding a piece on the back-end may have just moved up.
This comes just a few days after the news of Seth Griffith‘s MCL sprain suffered in the B’s preseason opener that will keep him sidelined for the next three to four weeks. Seidenberg’s injury could have a far-reaching impact on the club, as the team is more susceptible to stumbling out of the gate with his veteran presence missing from the ice in the early going.