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Three key Bruins offer health updates going into offseason
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- Three key Bruins offer health updates going into offseason
BOSTON — Traditionally, the final media session of the season is when Bruins players reveal what physical ailments they've been playing through in the postseason.
But with no playoffs this year, the health news came from Charlie McAvoy , Hampus Lindholm and Mark Kastelic , who each updated the status of the injuries that keep them off the ice at the end of the season.
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Charlie McAvoy
The Bruins ' alternate captain said he hasn't been fully cleared yet, but since there's no hockey to play in the immediate future, that was less urgent.
McAvoy hasn't seen game action since the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. On Thursday, he explained that his shoulder injury was a Grade 5 AC joint separation in addition to a staph infection.
"It was simply bad luck... I got off the antibiotics last week, so that's finally done," he said. "But the repair itself probably takes 3 months. I'm in a good spot, a really good spot now, or at least I will be. I have no restrictions this summer. I have no limitations on anything, which allows me to have a big summer."
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McAvoy expected to be ready by training camp.
Hampus Lindholm
The last time Lindholm played in a game, Jim Montgomery was still coaching the Bruins. The defenseman, who'd had a strong start to the year, suffered a broken kneecap against the Blues on Nov. 12 that ended his season. At first, it looked like he'd be back in February, but he had a setback.
Lindholm said initially he was fortunate that his knee stayed mostly intact, but as he pushed to return, he felt irritation.
"I had some luck within the bad luck when I had the fracture of my knee," he said. "Everything kind of stayed intact. There was no long-term worries from my injury. That led to maybe trying to come back too early, pushing a little too hard. We had to go in and reassess it and take out a piece that was kind of bugging me."
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Lindholm said he expected to heal fully and will resume skating next month and will be ready for training camp with no restrictions.
Mark Kastelic
The Bruins fourth-line forward didn't play after March 20 after having lingering effects from a concussion he suffered on March 8 against Tampa.
"I've been dealing with the lingering symptoms of the first concussion I had," said Kastelic, who has just begun to feel like himself again. "It's be a process to get over that hump. ... It's unfortunate that there aren't more games to play. I could be coming back pretty soon."
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Kastelic didn't expect any issues going forward.
"I think next year it'll all be forgotten about and it'll be so far in the past I can just keep moving forward," he said.
