It obviously raised a couple of eyebrows when the Bruins recalled defenseman Kevan Miller on an emergency basis Monday night, as many speculated there must have been some sort of injury on the Boston blue line. It appears there were actually two.
D-men Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid both missed practice Tuesday morning in Wilmington, which obviously explains why Miller had been recalled by the club. Luckily for the Bruins, though, it doesn’t sound too dire.
Boston head coach Claude Julien revealed after practice that McQuaid had reaggravated a previous lower-body injury. That injury had kept McQuaid out for eight games before he recently returned to the lineup. It’s unclear when the reaggravation actually happened, as he played a full game Saturday night against Columbus.
Krug is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The rookie blue liner was in a good amount of pain Saturday night after blocking a shot in the third period. Krug slowly skated to the bench and gingerly walked a couple of steps to his seat on the bench. Instead of sitting down, he stood up for a bit, perhaps just trying to shake it off. It’s unclear if that’s the issue, as Krug didn’t go back to the locker room or miss any time after blocking the shot.
Whatever Krug is dealing with doesn’t sound too serious, though. Julien indicated that he’s hopeful Krug will be back on the ice for practice Wednesday or back for Thursday’s game with Montreal.
If both Krug and McQuaid are unable to go Thursday, the B’s have a solid insurance plan in Miller. He played well in his first call-up to Boston. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 21 against St. Louis and appeared in three games before being sent back down. Miller certainly held his own in limited action, and Julien had plenty of good things to say about the 26-year-old in his time with the club.
