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Season officially over for Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid (54) had a rough run of injuries this season.Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Adam McQuaid’s season officially ended Sunday, as the Bruins released a statement saying that the defenseman had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle Thursday. The expected recovery time is eight weeks.

The origin of the ankle injury is unclear, though McQuaid has suffered through lower-body injuries throughout the season, and it could have come from overcompensating from the initial injuries. The ankle situation did not pop up recently, according to a team source.

The surgery might mark the end of McQuaid’s tenure with the Bruins. He has been replaced by Kevan Miller as the third-pairing defenseman with Torey Krug, and McQuaid and Miller have similar skill sets. Miller is signed for two more seasons at $800,000 per year.

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McQuaid’s biggest problem always has been that he hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the ice. He has had a slew of injuries in his time in Boston, ranging from a blood clot to a shoulder injury to the ankle surgery. He is signed for one more year at a cap hit of $1,566,667.

“It’s not easy for anyone to go through,” McQuaid said back in late February. “I think I’m lucky, I think I’ve been in the right mind-set right now to go through something like this. I’ve stayed really positive with it. Again, it’s a tough situation, but I control what I can.

“Every time I’ve come back I’ve hoped that that was going to be the end of it, but it’s hockey and things happen and so it goes in life.”

McQuaid ended up playing just 30 games this season, two fewer than he played in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season.

He suffered lower-body injuries Nov. 9, Nov. 30, and Jan. 19, and was called day-to-day at that point, and it was believed that he would return to the ice soon after the resumption of play after the Olympic break. He never did.

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The Bruins announced that the defenseman had been shut down for 2-3 weeks on March 5 with a quad strain, and he returned to the ice April 9. He was last seen on the ice April 19, skating before practice with Daniel Paille and strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides.


Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @amaliebenjamin.