Bruins Notes: With training camp approaching, Patrice Bergeron continues to look for solutions for ‘lingering’ groin injury

BOLTON — For the first time in three years, Patrice Bergeron did not have to go under the knife in the weeks that succeeded another grueling season for the B’s top-line pivot. 

While the summer is usually set aside for rest and a reprieve from hockey, rehab has primarily been at the center of Bergeron’s offseason regimen in both 2017 and 2018 — undergoing hernia surgery two years ago before heading back for a procedure last June in order to alleviate a nagging groin injury that plagued him all season long. 

In what was a short summer following Boston’s loss to St. Louis in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, Bergeron did not need to spend his days in a hospital room once again, chatting with physical therapists and other medical staff in order to chart the best course for an effective return to the ice.

But that doesn’t mean the veteran’s nagging groin injury has subsided fully going into his 16th NHL season. 



Speaking ahead of the Bruins Foundation’s annual golf tournament at The International, Bergeron noted that said groin injury is still giving him issues — with his full participation at the start of training camp potentially in question. 

‘I'm not sure if I'm going to be limited,” Bergeron said of his status when camp opens on Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena. “I feel better. It's still lingering a little bit. It's been there most of the summer. I got a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) shot in July. I’m slowly ramping it up on the ice. I think it’s what we’re trying to shoot for is more October rather than this Thursday."

The 2018-19 season was another campaign in which Bergeron was struck by the injury bug, missing 17 games — primarily due to a rib/sternoclavicular injury that he suffered back in November. But during the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, Bergeron re-aggravated the groin injury during Boston’s clinching victory in Game 4. 

He didn’t use the nagging ailment as much of an excuse in the days following the Cup Final, but Bergeron was clearly not right during the B’s seven-game series against the Blues. By the time Boston’s Cup run came to an end, Bergeron had only tallied four points in the series, with zero coming during 5v5 play. 

Still, while Bergeron may not be able to hit the ground (or ice) running as quickly as a few other teammates in the next week or so, the center is optimistic that this latest injection will put him back on course when it comes to putting these groin issues in the rearview for good. 

“I should be able to play through that,” Bergeron said of his injury. “I think it’s been there for a long time. I think with the PRP shot we hope that – and it’s one of those things, it takes a little bit of time to work and have its effect – so it’s getting better but it’s still there a little bit. But I’m feeling good, I’m feeling positive that I’ll be definitely ready for the start of the season. So that’s not even an issue.”

He added: "It's one of those things where it's been going on for a few years now ... and that's something we talked about over the summer, it's something that you want to put in the past and hopefully what we did this summer is going to help with that and I don't have to talk about this again."

Even if Bergeron might be slow out the gate in September, it wouldn’t deviate too much from what should be a relatively subdued training camp — with Bruce Cassidy noting that Boston’s veteran core will likely be given more of a breather over the next couple of weeks after orchestrating such an extended run last season that carried all the way into June. 

"I don't think any of our veteran guys like to move that slow,” Cassidy said of easing his veterans into the preseason. “I think they want to get after it. But common sense has to take over there, so that conversation, I think, will be realistic. You know (Zdeno Chara) will want to get out there as quick as he can. Bergy is not going to want to miss time, etc, etc. But I suspect, because they've been through it, they'll have a good read on it."

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While Bergeron is optimistic that he’ll be good to go for the start of the regular season, the same can’t be said for defenseman John Moore — who confirmed Don Sweeney’s comments from last month about his status for the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign. 

After undergoing shoulder surgery back on June 26, the blueliner noted that he will indeed be on the shelf to open the regular season, with the 28-year-old veteran still not skating as he recovers from his procedure. 

“It's been kind of a process working my way back from rehab,” Moore said. “I've been here all summer, just grinding away. This surgery really kicked my ass, but every day, just trying to make little steps, little improvements and just get better every day. … I definitely won't be ready to go at the start. But I hope shortly soon thereafter. You base it off of what the surgeon says. He sees the injury and recovery and there are guidelines and I've been hitting them so far, so I'm optimistic that it'll be sooner rather than later. But initially, when we started the process, 4-6 months was the window. I'm hoping more towards the four months there.”

Other than Moore, Cassidy added that Kevan Miller could also start the year on the shelf, with the veteran waiting to get the all clear after suffering a pair of fractures — one horizontal and one vertical — to the same kneecap less than two months apart. 

“I think Kevan Miller is a question mark,” Cassidy said of other injuries. “We're hoping he gets cleared medically, but that's still to be determined. His date is, I believe, later in September, we'll get a better answer on him. So right now, I don't anticipate he'll be with us, but that could change.”

Of course, if both Moore and Miller are sidelined at the start of the regular season, Boston could be allowed to exceed the cap ceiling of $81.5 million by $5.25 million if both players are placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). 

However, it’s important to note that placing a player on LTIR does not remove his cap hit from a team’s overall payroll. It only allows for a temporary cap relief for an injured player — with a player’s cap hit set to take effect once again once said player is activated from LTIR. And once a player is deemed healthy, a player MUST be activated. 

In other words, if Boston is looking to find more ways to free up cash for new deals involving Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, it might want to look elsewhere instead of viewing LTIR as a bailout option.