The Boston Bruins made the announcement fans dreaded on Saturday morning, placing James Hagens on injured reserve. The rookie forward left Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins after a cross-check to the back from Samuel Girard and didn't return. The injury looked serious, given how Hagens stumbled to the bench, but fans hoped it was nothing more than a stinger.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 7, 2026
That wasn't the case, as Hagens will now miss at least a week. Since back injuries are nothing to mess around with, it might be the best-case scenario that the training staff is taking a more patient approach. Hagens has been one of the team's best forwards, which makes the timing unfortunate, but this could be the best time in the schedule to put him on IR.
The Bruins play on Sunday afternoon against the Florida Panthers, which had the makings of one of the Tkachuk brothers targeting the rookie's back in a way only they know how to do. Boston's schedule then lightens for the rest of the week, as their only game before next Saturday is Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
The hope is that the injury isn't long-term and the rookie can return in a week, when the schedule begins to pick up again. Losing him against two division rivals who are chasing the Bruins in the standings isn't ideal, but it sounds like they avoided the worst-case scenario.
Hagens reportedly attended the Boston College-Vermont game at Conte on Saturday night to watch his brother play with the Catamounts. That's a good sign the injury isn't too serious.
A silver lining in the James Hagens injury
While Hagens will be missed in the lineup, Mikey Eyssimont can no longer be denied a roster spot on the Bruins after lighting the AHL on fire for the past month. With Matthew Poitras still dealing with his broken nose and Hagens on IR, Eyssimont will likely get a chance on Sunday against Florida.
It'll be interesting to see whether Eyssimont sticks in Boston once Hagens returns. With the team carrying two extra defensemen, this might be the time when the Bruins send Jonathan Aspirot to Providence. Last year's breakout defenseman would have to clear waivers, which at one point might've concerned the Bruins, but with the way he's played this season, they may be able to sneak him through.
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