Lance Bouma seems to be very much on the road to recovery for the Calgary Flames, travelling on the current road trip with the team.
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Since going down with a broken leg (fibula) in mid October, it’s been a long road to recovery for Bouma, but all signs from the Calgary Flames point to him getting back to full health and surely due an on-ice return in the not too distant future.
As Bob Hartley stated on the Calgary Flames official website though, it’s unlikely we’ll see Bouma in action on this trip:
"“Medically, there’s no danger,” Hartley said. “The medical staff feels real comfortable that the injury is fully healed. At the same time, now comes the game conditioning, to really step it up a notch. That’s where we’re going to see if some pain will come out of this. I don’t expect [Bouma] to play on this road trip.” – Bob Hartley (flames.nhl.com)"
Any time a player goes down with a serious injury like this, it’s always a big concern. How will that player bounce back and will they be the same player they were before?
Bouma is a big player for the Calgary Flames, physically – it’ll be very intriguing to see if he plays with the same aggression given the fracture (healed or otherwise) will likely play on his mind for a while.
Last season, Lance Bouma offered up 16 goals and 34 points for the Calgary Flames; a career high. This season, he’s obviously missed the best part of three months, so coming anywhere close to those totals would be an achievement.
What he can do though is offer some grit and determination, as well as some much-needed depth for the Calgary Flames offense.
The next big decision facing the Calgary Flames coaching staff is which depth player heads down to the Stockton Heat in the American Hockey League to ensure Lance Bouma can stay up; though a conditioning stint may not be a bad idea.
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