The Boston Bruins have an injury crisis. Things were already dire with Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt absent from the lineup.
Now, things take an even more drastic turn.
The team lost Viktor Arvidsson and Charlie McAvoy to injury on Saturday night in Montreal, and the team quickly placed Arvidsson on injured reserve.
McAvoy was not placed on injured reserve, sparking some hope his injury might not be as major as initially thought. Still, McAvoy will not play tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Additionally, the team placed Mittelstadt onto injured reserve, while shifting Jordan Harris to long-term injured reserve, opening up the cap space and roster spaces needed to call up some reinforcements.
Those reinforcements come in the form of Matěj Blümel and Riley Tufte, a pair of forwards who received the promotion from Providence after ripping apart the AHL to begin the year.
Tufte, 27, has recorded eight goals and 16 points in 13 games with the Providence Bruins this season, leading Providence in goals and tied for fourth in the AHL in points. The 6-foot-6, 233-pound forward has skated in 344 career AHL games, totaling 87 goals and 95 assists for 182 points.
Tufte skated in six games for the Bruins last year, recording no points.
Blümel, meanwhile, was a headline-grabbing depth signing in July, with most people pencilling him in for a top-nine role. Instead, he lost out on a roster spot despite receiving a very long look in training camp.
Blümel, 25, scored two goals and 13 points in 13 games with the Providence Bruins this season, leading the team in assists and ranking third in points.
He led the AHL last year with 39 goals and tied for second in points with 72.
Immediately, Blümel will feature in Boston's top six, replacing Viktor Arvidsson. Tufte appeared to be a healthy scratch at morning skate, but it will come down to him or Jeffrey Viel on the fourth line.