BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins leading scorer David Pastrnak will miss the first few practices of training camp because of tendinitis, general manager Don Sweeney said Wednesday.
Pastrnak “won’t skate for the first couple of days,” Sweeney said, clarifying that the four-time All-Star will be on the ice but not practicing with the team. Sweeney did not elaborate on where the tendinitis was located but said it came up during his last training period.
“He’s still on the ice but he’ll be in full practice
next week,” Sweeney said. “So, that’s the only surprise we have. Everybody else is fully up and running.”
Pastrnak led Boston with 43 goals and 63 assists last season, and his 106 points were nearly twice as many as his next most prolific teammate. He played in all 82 games for the third straight season.
But the Bruins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Former Bruins player Marco Sturm was brought in to replace interim coach Joe Sacco, who filled in after Jim Montgomery was fired in November.
Sturm said at the opening of training camp on Wednesday that Pastrnak’s absence will create an opportunity for other players.
“Usually there’s always one surprise in training camp. And hopefully we have at least one or two,” Sturm said. “There will be opportunities, and that’s what I’m all excited about. I worked with all the young kids the last three years, so I want them to have success. And I’m going to do everything I can to put them in a good spot.”
Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy were the alternates last season under captain Brad Marchand, who was dealt to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. The two returning alternates ran the offseason “captain's practices,” but Sweeney said last week that the Bruins have decided not to elevate anyone to captain right away.
“Everything's on the table right now,” Sweeney said at the Bruins Foundation golf outing. "We’ve got a leadership group that’s been meeting amongst themselves, and I think eventually somebody will emerge as the guy that should be the next captain.”
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