Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

By Sam Minton | Follow me on Twitter @sam_minton22

The Boston Bruins will be without some key members of their top six for a while. On Tuesday, the B’s announced that Brad Marchand and Craig Smith had entered COVID-19 protocols. This news is coming just one day after Bruce Cassidy returned behind the bench from his stint on the COVID-19 protocol.

As a result of entering the protocol, both players will be gone for at least ten days. That means the duo will miss six games and will not be eligible to return until December 27th against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a home game at the TD Garden.

Both players have the ability to make an impact in a hockey game. Marchand, a pillar of this team, will be the most significant blow to the lineup. Marchand has 27 points with 11 goals and 16 assists in the current season. Smith, who has had his struggles in 2021, will still be a missed asset to winning hockey games. This season, Smith has two goals and five assists. While he might not be lighting up the scoreboard like Marchand, his presence will be missed.

As a result of the news, Jake DeBrusk will be skating on the second line as Smith’s replacement. This will be an excellent opportunity for DeBrusk to show his value and also help Boston out in the process.

The news comes on the heels of the Bruins playing the Calgary Flames on Saturday, who had to cancel upcoming games as they are in the middle of an outbreak of their own. With the timing of Tuesday’s news, it’s looking like that game might have been the catalyst that now has Smith and Marchand forced to miss time.

What makes things interesting is that Marchand participated in the morning skate on Tuesday before the announcement. Everyone will have to remain hopeful that the Bruins don’t have an outbreak of their own on their hands in the coming days.