Ramifications of Savard Injury

There was a time this season when Boston Bruins fans had to question whether Marc Savard would ever be back to his old self -- if he even got back on the ice at all -- after suffering a vicious head injury from a Matt Cooke hit in March of last year. After an attempt to come back during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Philadelphia last season, Savard missed a large portion of time to start this season as he battled several post-concussion symptoms. He made his anticipated return on December 2nd, but it was clear that he hadn't really found his groove yet on the ice. Linemates Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton both went ice cold, and the Savard line was suddenly, for all intents and purposes, the third line on the roster. But lately, Savvy had begun to find his stride and display his increasing comfort level. We began to see the brilliant, playmaking side of #91 that fans remembered from years past. Couple that with the Bruins success, and things were starting to become very promising once again. And then, in an instant, our uncertainty took the wheel again.

Savard took a hit into the boards -- ironically, from ex-Bruin Matt Hunwick -- in Saturday's matinee against the Colorado Avalanche. His head was pinned between the glass and Hunwick's shoulder, and Savard immediately went to the ice. Judging by the way he looked when he was coming off the ice, as well as the fact that he didn't make the trip to LA with the team, Bruins fans have ample reason to worry.

Studies have shown that athletes who suffer multiple consecutive concussions in relatively short time spans can suffer from long-term damage. If Savard is diagnosed with a concussion, that's something everyone will have to worry about. But even aside from the concrete health diagnosis, the B's may have reason to be concerned with Savvy's psychological standing as well. During his fight back from the Cooke concussion, Savard was additionally diagnosed with depression and had told the media on select occasions that he had questioned his desire to play the game any more. Those doubts vanished once he was back on skates with the team, but it's scary to think about the prospect that those feelings could easily resurface with another diagnosed concussion.

Boston will hope for the best, but they will have to move on in the immediate future without the services of their star playmaker. Coach Claude Julien announced his new line combinations to the media on Sunday:

Marchand	Bergeron	Recchi
Lucic	Krejci	Horton
Wheeler	Seguin	Ryder
Paille	Campbell	Thornton

The new sets up front see only Boston's top line remain intact. Marchand, Bergeron, and Recchi have tallied an astounding 17 goals and 33 points collectively since being assembled 9 games ago. There's no reason to break them up. We see David Krejci reunited with his early-season linemates, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Those guys had success together to start the year, but they began to fade off. The Bruins will look to spark them again. Tyler Seguin will move back to his natural center position, a place that many fans enjoy seeing him progress. You would normally be looking to make Seguin a winger given the makeup of this organization and their excessive depth at center, but there are always multiple ways to look at it -- if Savard's injury is more serious than we think, you might want Seguin to become your replacement for Savvy. But we need not discuss such disastrous outcomes from Savard's perspective. Let's just wait for the word from the medical staff.

Injuries are a part of any season, and the Bruins have assembled a team that seems fit to deal with its injuries. Look at the lineup here -- it's pretty damn good when you consider it is without, arguably, its most talented offensive threat. With a defensive core that is playing better and better each game and getting contributions from two rookies, your situation is even better. Throw in the fact that your goaltender is the bona fide Vezina trophy favorite, things are definitely promising. We're entering the stretch of the season where you really want to see your guys playing their playoff style of hockey. After the all-star break, the margin for error diminishes. It's the time you have to hit your stride. Here's to hoping this is finally our year. I want to make the year 1972 irrelevant.