Boston Bruins: Health is on the horizon as players come back from injuries

Brett Ritchie and John Moore are back from injury. Patrice Bergeron looks to be a week away. Will the Boston Bruins finally ice a healthy lineup?

The overall record may not show it, but things haven’t all been easy for the Boston Bruins this season. Injuries factored in since game number one, and the Bruins rarely iced a fully-healthy lineup throughout the first 27 games.

Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk, and David Backes are among the many Bruins who missed multiple games because of injury. A few players, including John Moore and Kevan Miller, have yet to play at all.

The good news is that Boston continues to win despite the long injury list. Even better, the Bruins should expect some important players back from injury in the near future.

Coach Bruce Cassidy spoke to the media on Tuesday morning and gave an injury update.

Brett Ritchie, who can’t catch a break with injuries and infections, is healthy and ready to go. He won’t be in the lineup right away, but he’s finally healthy.

Ritchie’s been solid in his first year in Boston. With two goals in 15 games, he’s a decent depth piece who adds size and strength to the bottom six.

Another Bruins ready to return is John Moore. Many people forget about Moore given his extended absence, but he’s a capable NHL defenseman. He played 61 games last year in Boston, and he was a steady fill-in in the playoffs.

Cassidy mentioned that Moore could see his first action on Thursday night. If he does, the Bruins will need to do some roster shuffling because right now, it’s unclear where exactly Moore fits.

We all love to see Ritchie and Moore back from injury, but what we really hope for is the return of Patrice Bergeron. Fortunately, Cassidy offered some positive news on that front.

While there’s still no actual timeline, Cassidy expects Bergeron to join the team on the next road trip. The first game of that road trip is next Monday against Ottawa.

Bergeron also skated this morning at the Warrior Ice Arena, another sign that he’s closer to a return.

Right now, even short highlights of Bergeron alone on the practice rink are good to see.

The Bruins performed admirably in Bergeron’s absence, something that could pay dividends later on in the season. The Bruins didn’t need to rush him back from injury, so they can better-manage his health moving forward.

Nonetheless, we all know that the Bruins need Bergeron in the lineup if they want to achieve their ultimate goal this year. He remains the best all-around player on Boston, and he’s a top center in the entire league.

The Bruins are near the top of the league, and they have the record and statistics to show it. Now, can you imagine what they can look like when fully healthy? We’ll hopefully get our first look in the next week or so.