Bruins aren’t ruling out Saturday return for Torey Krug, but there’s plenty of work to be done

Already without two regulars on defense in Kevan Miller and Charlie McAvoy, the Black and Gold’s blue line is eagerly awaiting the return of its puck-moving maestro in Torey Krug.

Limited to just two preseason games before suffering an ankle injury, Krug has not been able to take part in a meaningful hockey tilt since the start of May — already forced to play catch-up in the first weeks of training camp while recovering from a fracture to the same ankle that he suffered against the Lightning during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

His current ailment is not related to that fracture, but it doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating for Krug, who’s looking to get back up to speed and relieve a defense that seems to be without a few stalwarts for the foreseeable future.

“I need to play games,” Krug said Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena. “That’s the only way to get into game shape. Went through a little bit of training camp. You can ride the bike all day long, you can skate on your own up and down the ice, but there’s nothing like playing in a game, battling in the corners and the physical aspect of it.

“That’s a part of the tough situation I’m in. I’ve played one preseason game since the first week of May and it’s a tough part about it, but you’ve just gotta put your head down and go to work and hopefully feel as good as you can.”

For the second practice in a row, Krug was a participant with his teammates, taking part in a few rushes but avoiding any contact or battle drills. Still, Krug’s return to the ice is a major step forward, especially with both Miller and McAvoy still sidelined.

After blocking a shot with his hand against the Oilers last Thursday, Miller will be out for at least four weeks, with Cassidy confirming Thursday that Miller is wearing a cast. Cassidy added that McAvoy is dealing with an “upper-body” injury, likely after taking a hit against the Oilers back on Oct. 11.

While McAvoy was back at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday, Cassidy added that the 20-year-old is not quite ready to get back out on the ice.

That leaves Krug as the only sort of relief in the short term for a banged-up Bruins team forced to roll out Jeremy Lauzon — already filling in for a concussed Urho Vaakanainen — on Thursday against the Flyers.

For Cassidy, the biggest hurdle when it comes to Krug will be his ability to take contact — and will be the determinant of when the defenseman will return to the lineup. The team isn’t ruling out a return on Saturday night against the Canadiens, but Cassidy noted that there’s a chance Krug could take things easy through the weekend.

“He’s now with the team a few days,” Cassidy said of Krug. “He needs some contact. Tomorrow, we’ll have a practice, probably get a better idea after practice tomorrow or Saturday morning. Saturday seems like a stretch but I wouldn’t rule it out. Once he starts skating, and it becomes a comfort level for him and the doctors clear him - my guess is sometime next week is probably better. But again, it’s just a guess.”

Krug echoed Cassidy’s sentiments, with a practice scheduled on Friday likely set to bring an opportunity for the skater to test his ankle with a couple of hits.

“Honestly, we don’t know,” Krug said of a chance of returning Saturday. “It’s a day-to-day thing, see how we feel and see if we got enough work in from a physical aspect and the battles in the corner.”

While Krug also had to shake off some rust at the start of last season due to suffering a fractured jaw during the preseason, dealing with a protector on his helmet would be preferred over getting his legs back under him.

After suffering back-to-back injuries to the same ankle, Krug acknowledged that he’s going to have fight through some early struggles in order to get back to his usual game.

“This is tough because my game, the aspect of my game that kind of drives everything else is my skating,” Krug said. “That’s why this is a tough injury. The jaw protector was annoying more than anything, but getting your game up to speed, it was OK. I remember it took me a few games to get back into it with it. Once I got my jaw protector off, my game took off a little bit.”

Given the number of injuries — and an inconsistent power play that went 2-for-12 during their recent four-game road trip — even a rusty Krug might be just what the Bruins to inject some life into this blue line.