The New Jersey Devils announced on Monday that forward Tuomo Ruutu will miss four to six weeks with a fractured foot, according to Rich Chere of the Star Ledger.
Though the Finn was averaging just 11:26 per night, it’ll be a hit to the fragile team’s depth chart.
Acquired at the deadline a couple years back, the 32-year-old scored seven goals and six assists through 77 games last season. He’s been out since October 16 and has yet to produce a point this season.
In a likely related move, the Devils claimed forward Bobby Farnham off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. While the claiming of a 26-year-old forward with 14 games of NHL experience and a career-high of 14 points at the AHL level may seem like it doesn’t make much sense, the team may see Farnham as a stop gap while Ruutu is out. He’s a low-cost alternative for a low minute fill-in that the team probably won’t mind waiving once Ruutu is ready to return.
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