The Boston Bruins will be without John-Michael Liles for an extended period of time after the defenseman was diagnosed with a concussion.
The team announced the news on Tuesday evening just before their game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Liles was injured in Boston’s win over the Tampa Bay Lighting on Sunday when he tripped over the stick of goaltender Ben Bishop and fell head first into the boards. He did not return to the game.
This is the play.
Concussions are never a good thing, but what makes it especially concerning for Liles is he has a history of them throughout his career. He missed time during the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons due to concussions.
Acquired by the Bruins at the trade deadline a year ago, Liles re-signed with the team over the summer on a one-year, $2 million contract.
He has appeared in 22 games this season mostly playing on the Bruins’ third defensive pairing alongside Colin Miller. He has five assists on the season while averaging just a little more than 16 minutes of ice-time per game.
The Bruins are also without defenseman Zdeno Chara on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. He has not played since Nov. 22 against the St. Louis Blues. With Chara and Liles sidelined it leaves an already thin Bruins defense even more shorthanded.