The Seattle Kraken have been dealt a tough blow as forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has been ruled out for the next 4-6 weeks with a leg fracture. This is a significant injury for the Kraken, who have already been dealing with a number of other injuries to key players.
Bellemare suffered the injury during the team’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 8th. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher and immediately sent to the hospital for evaluation. After further examination, it was determined that he had suffered a fracture in his left leg.
The injury is a major setback for the Kraken, who are already without two of their top forwards in J.T. Miller and Tyler Johnson. Miller is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, while Johnson is out for at least two weeks with a lower-body injury.
Bellemare had been playing well for the Kraken this season, recording three goals and three assists in 22 games. He was also one of the team’s top penalty killers and had been averaging over 16 minutes of ice time per game. His absence will be felt on both ends of the ice.
The Kraken have been hit hard by injuries this season, but they have managed to stay competitive in the standings. They currently sit in fifth place in the Honda West Division with a record of 15-9-2.
It remains to be seen how the Kraken will adjust to life without Bellemare, but they will need to find a way to make up for his absence if they want to remain in contention for a playoff spot. The team will likely look to some of their younger players to step up and fill the void left by Bellemare.
In the meantime, the Kraken will hope for a speedy recovery for Bellemare and that he can return to the ice as soon as possible.
