UPDATE: Never mind, it's a Christmas miracle. Brock Boeser was on the ice skating at Tuesday's morning practice and is expected to take the ice for warm-up and potentially play against the Montreal Canadiens. This is absolutely stunning: everything about Boeser's injury screamed that he would miss multiple games; he might not miss any.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE BELOW:
Brock Boeser underwent medical testing on Monday on his left foot, while all of Canucks nation held their breath. Fans feared the worst — a fractured foot at minimum, or perhaps the sudden discovery of ruptured ligaments, a rare blood disease, or gangrene — but the results were about as positive as they could possibly be.
Instead of a foot fracture, Boeser reportedly has a bone bruise.
“It's more of a bone bruise and more day-to-day than week-to-week for his return,” said Canucks GM Jim Benning. “It's a relief. We can't afford to lose a player like that.”
They really can’t. The Boeser injury caps off one of the worst months in franchise history when it comes to player health. Losing Boeser for weeks with Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi, and Chris Tanev already on the shelf would have been devastating.
The news isn’t all good, however. As much as a bone bruise is a better diagnosis than a fracture, they can still lead to a long recovery time. There’s a reason why Boeser couldn’t put any weight on his foot and, depending on the severity of the bruise, it might be difficult for Boeser to do so for some time.
While Benning was willing to say day-to-day, the Canucks’ official statement was a little more hesitant.
Boeser update: fracture ruled out after further evaluation. Timeline on return to play to be provided at a later date. pic.twitter.com/tQFwb7pAOT
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 18, 2017
With no official timeline, Boeser could still be out for weeks. It’s entirely up in the air: he could return next week or he could be out for a month or more. It all depends on how bad the bone bruise really is.
It could have been a lot worse if Boeser wasn’t wearing skate guards over the top of his foot. There was some confusion as to whether he was wearing them, but it’s clear from the photo above that he was. The bruise easily could have been a fracture.
While the news is as good as it could possibly be, it’s probably best to hold off on the celebrations until the Canucks provide a more definitive timeline on Boeser’s recovery.
