NEWARK, N.J. — The Seattle Kraken placed leading scorer Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve Thursday with a lower body injury.
Burakovsky’s leg appeared to buckle on zone entry on his first shift of Tuesday’s game against the New York Islanders, and he played just 31 seconds in the 4-0 loss.
Burakovsky had appeared in 49 of the first 50 games in his first season with Seattle after signing as a free agent. He leads the Kraken with 39 points, including 13 goals and 26 assists, and is averaging a career-high 16 minutes and 33 seconds of ice time per game. He’s one of six skaters for Seattle with at least 30 points this season.
The Kraken activated defenseman Justin Schultz off injured reserve ahead of Thursday night’s game against New Jersey after missing six games with an undisclosed injury. Seattle also recalled forward John Hayden from Coachella Valley of the AHL to add depth to the forward group.