Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney met with reporters Sunday and gave an unfortunate update on injured defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
Lindholm is “unlikely” to return this season, per Sweeney. The veteran d-man suffered a fractured patella that required surgery earlier this season. Lindholm hasn’t played since Nov. 12.
There’s also no timeline on when defenseman Charlie McAvoy will return to the lineup. McAvoy suffered a shoulder injury playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Sweeney also talked about the team’s approach ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, which is only about two weeks away.
“I think we’ll take a much more cautious approach as we approach the deadline,” Sweeney told reporters.
This is not the kind of tone Sweeney has had at the trade deadline for most of his career as Bruins GM. Since taking over the role in 2015, Sweeney has been a consistent buyer at the trade deadline, even going all-in some years.
But the Bruins need to be realistic about where they stand in the playoff race. The B’s have a 27-24-7 record amid a three-game losing streak. They entered Sunday five points behind the Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division, but they’ve also played three more games than Tampa Bay.
The B’s are one point behind the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings for the two Eastern Conference wild card berths, but they also have more games played than both of those teams. Analytics site MoneyPuck gives Boston just a 15.4 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to its model.
It makes little sense for the Bruins to add players at this deadline unless they are in the prime of their career and have term left on their contract. Rentals should be a non-starter. It also makes sense for the Bruins to listen to trade offers on players who can become free agents in the offseason. That group includes Trent Frederic (UFA), Justin Brazeau (UFA) and Morgan Geekie (RFA), among others.
The Bruins are back in action Tuesday against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden.
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