Kraken Won’t get André Burakovsky Back for Start of Playoffs

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken will be without forward André Burakovsky for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs after he underwent surgery to address a lower-body injury.

The Kraken announced Burakovsky’s status after a 3-1 loss to Vegas in their regular-season finale Thursday night.

Burakovsky has not played since Feb. 7 against the New York Islanders when he was injured on his first shift in Seattle’s first game after the All-Star break.

Burakovsky was expected to return in March, but experienced a pair of setbacks in his recovery. The latest setback came recently after he was on the ice for practice in a red no-contact jersey.

At the time of his injury, Burakovsky was Seattle’s leading scorer. He had 13 goals and 26 assists in 49 games prior to his injury.

Burakovsky signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Kraken last offseason after helping Colorado to a championship.

Seattle will open the playoffs next week against either Dallas or Colorado, depending on the outcome Friday’s game between the Avalanche and Predators in Nashville.