Pastrnak Sidelined by Thumb Procedure

BOSTON - Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced on Tuesday morning that David Pastrnak will miss at least the next two weeks as he recovers from a successful tendon procedure on his left thumb performed by Dr. Matt Leibman.
Pastrnak injured the thumb on Sunday night after attending a team sponsorship dinner with several of his teammates. At approximately 11:30 p.m., Pastrnak informed Sweeney that he fell as he walked to his transportation.
"They were meeting at a location to be picked up," Sweeney said during a press conference at Warrior Ice Arena. "Again…the same questions you guys are about to ask - I've asked the same questions. The internal specifics, we'll keep that way, in terms of locations and things that they were doing.
"I'm not trying to be vague in that regard. Just wanted to be out in front of reporting the facts as they are."

The 22-year-old winger met with the team's medical staff on Monday morning and it was determined then that a procedure was needed. The team will know better after two weeks exactly how much time Pastrnak will miss, though he is expected to return this season.
"I'll have the specifics later, but [Dr. Leibman] feels comfortable in saying that in two weeks we'll have a much better timeline on what it's gonna take," said Sweeney. "From a rehab standpoint, there's really nothing. He'll be able to skate within 10 days, so conditioning won't be an issue. Just a matter of the stitches and infection-wise to make sure he doesn't have any issues in that regard."

Sweeney said he met with Pastrnak on Monday to discuss the injury and that Pastrnak - the team's leading scorer this season with 66 points and 31 goals in 56 games - was "extremely upset and disappointed."
"He obviously feels like he let everyone down, despite it being an accident," said Sweeney. "He was apologetic and was heartfelt in trying to explain that accidents happen. I said the same thing to him - they do."
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy must now shuffle his lineup once again as he tries to find the right combinations with the team still trying to enhance its secondary scoring. For now, Peter Cehlarik and Jake DeBrusk will play alongside David Krejci, with Danton Heinen remaining on the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.
David Backes will re-enter the lineup after sitting out Sunday's game as a healthy scratch. And Krejci will take Pastrnak's place on the Bruins' top power-play unit.
"It's a pretty easy switch, in terms of personnel," said Cassidy, who confirmed that the team would recall a player from Providence before the team's lengthy West Coast trip on Wednesday. "And then we'll see tonight after the game, [Wednesday] morning, what's our best fit going forward for the road trip? We'd have to carry an extra forward anyway, so do we switch anybody out? That will be the conversation. I don't know who it will be…could be anybody down there."

Regardless of the tweaks, the Bruins will, no doubt, miss Pastrnak's elite skill and scoring touch. The Czech Republic native is tied for ninth in the league in scoring and seventh in goals.
"We don't expect any one player to deliver what Pasta adds to this point or could going forward," said Cassidy. "But we'll look at different people in there that have had some level of success and see if they can fill some of the void. That's what's in front of us.
"We've relied on team defense, special teams, goaltending, more the defensive side this year to get through. We were hoping when we got healthy we would score a little more. I think we did.
"I think this team is used to playing close games…that will probably be the formula moving forward."
The Bruins are, of course, no strangers to playing shorthanded. They have lost 167 man games to injury this season, with Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy - and more - all missing significant time.
"We have depth and we have players that obviously are hungry to get a chance," said Chara, who missed 19 games with an MCL injury earlier this season. "It's very unfortunate. We're going to miss David for some period of time, but those things happen. We have to play and focus on what we have to do without him until he comes back."

Sweeney said Pastrnak's injury would not change his approach to the upcoming trade deadline. With two weeks until the Feb. 25 marker, he is continuing to move forward with discussions to try and improve his club.
"It doesn't change my approach at all," said Sweeney. "We're already looking and making calls to see if we could add to the group in the right situation…I've been having calls for a month now at least, if not longer, throughout the year…trying to identify teams and you can imagine the jockeying going on everywhere and all the teams that are in.
"Some teams don't know and will take it right to the deadline. We've been looking to do something, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen."