In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, an update has been provided on Milan Lucic, and it is not a good one. In other news, we also have an expected recovery timeline for forward Jakub Lakub, who took a face to the skate against the Chicago Blackhawks. Lastly, a potential Mason Lohrei call-up could be on the way. Let’s discuss all of this and more in today’s (Oct. 26) Bruins News & Rumors column.
Lucic Out Several Weeks, Lauko Also Sidelined
According to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Lucic will miss the next several weeks. Lucic had missed each of the Bruins’ last two games after taking a slapshot to the foot against the Los Angeles Kings. Now, we have been given a more specific recovery timeline for the veteran forward, and it is, unfortunately, bad news.
Lucic, 35, returned to the Bruins this offseason and has a strong start to the 2023-24 season. In four games thus far, the 6-foot-3 power forward has two assists to go along with eight hits. As a result of this, the Bruins were naturally hoping that he would not have to miss too much time. Instead, the Bruins will now be without the power forward for weeks, and they are losing a significant degree of their toughness in the process.
Shinzawa also reported that Lauko will miss a week of action. Lauko notably was hit in the corner of his eye with a skate against the Blackhawks. He, thankfully, avoided any serious eye injury, but we now have confirmation that he will still be forced to miss a little bit of action. Luckily, it is far less time than it could have been.
Lohrei Call-Up Incoming?
ESPN’s John Bucchigross created some buzz on Twitter/X yesterday (Oct. 25), as the ESPN anchor posted that he’s hearing that Lohrei could be called up to the NHL squad. At the time of this writing, a call-up has not come to fruition, but it is something that we should look out for.
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The Bruins placed Ian Mitchell on waivers yesterday (Oct. 25), so there is now an NHL roster spot available for a player like Lohrei. Mitchell had been serving as an extra defenseman for the Bruins, so it would not be too far-fetched for the Bruins to recall a fellow defenseman in the near future like Lohrei to replace him.
Lohrei, 22, has played in five games with the Providence Bruins this season, where he has two assists and a plus-3 rating. We will now need to wait and see if Bucchigross is correct and the promising prospect gets his first call to the show.
Mitchell Clears Waivers
The Bruins are holding on to a piece of their defensive depth, as Mitchell has cleared waivers. When it was announced Mitchell was hitting the wire, it seemed possible that a team would claim because of his age and affordable contract. However, he has cleared, and now he will be playing with the Providence Bruins.
Although Mitchell was primarily the Bruins’ seventh defenseman this season, he has made two appearances for Boston, posting one assist and a plus-1 rating.
Brown Called Back Up & Boqvist Joins NHL Squad
As noted above, Patrick Brown was demoted to the AHL on Oct. 25. However, per the AHL’s transactions log, Brown was called right back up to the NHL roster on Oct. 26. As a result, the 31-year-old forward will be eligible to play for the Bruins in their game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Bruins signed Brown to a two-year, $1.6 million contract during the offseason and expected him to be a mainstay on their fourth line. However, due to young players like Johnny Beecher and Lauko outplaying him during the preseason, Brown was waived and started the season in the AHL. He was called back up to the NHL squad early on in the season and has appeared in three games for Boston, posting zero points, nine hits, and a minus-1 rating. Brown will now look to make a bigger impact for the Bruins from here, assuming he gets into game action.
Lastly, Jesper Boqvist was at the Bruins’ practice facility today (Oct. 26). While an official call-up has not occurred yet, it seems quite likely that one could be on the way. The Bruins currently have 11 healthy forwards on their roster, and calling up Boqvist would give them four full lines against the Ducks.
Editor’s Note: Boqvist has officially been called up to the Bruins’ NHL roster.