It’s been a while since we’ve seen David Backes, and the Boston Bruins don’t appear to be hurrying him back.
The veteran forward has been out with an upper-body injury sustained during Boston’s meeting with the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 2. Backes exited the game after the scary collision with Scott Sabourin that sent the Sens forward to the hospital.
Backes was at Saturday’s morning skate ahead of the B’s meeting with the Minnesota Wild. The 35-year-old wore a red non-contact jersey, and following the session Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy shared an update on Backes.
“It was a scary situation obviously for both players there against Ottawa,” Cassidy said, per the team. “(Backes has) taken some time away from the rink and he’s kind of checking the boxes to get back in the lineup now, get back out on the ice. So that’s step one.”
Although the injury has been classified as upper-body and not specifically a head injury, Cassidy did acknowledge that they are being careful with Backes in part because of his history of concussions.
“This is an individual decision first, then you talk with the team, obviously, to make sure that everything is done properly because once you’ve had a few head injuries, you’ve got to be really careful,” Cassidy said. “Our situation, we don’t need to rush anybody back right now, no matter who it is, especially in this situation.
“We’re being as careful as we need to be, along with the individual’s consent,” Cassidy later noted. “So that’s where it’s at. I couldn’t even tell you what the next (step will be) until you see him in a practice jersey, which I don’t know when that will be yet, so that’s something for probably down the road.”
Although Backes does remain out, the Bruins will get both Torey Krug and Brett Ritchie back Saturday.
