The Bruins' depth issues on the backend were dealt a long-term blow Friday, as they will reportedly skate without the services of captain Zdeno Chara for the next four-to-six weeks, according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa.

Injured in the first period of Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche, Chara's knee went through an undeniably awkward-looking twist on a collision with Colorado center Carl Soderberg, and ended his night after just 5:24 of time on ice.

Chara's injury is just another bump to a Boston blue line that's simply battered beyond belief.

Charlie McAvoy (concussion-like symptoms) and Urho Vaakanainen (concussion) have both been skating on their own back in Boston. Brandon Carlo remains out of action with an upper-body ailment, while John Moore missed Friday's game and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Bruins do, however, hope to get Kevan Miller (hand) back next week.

In the meantime, the Bruins will continue to rely on a defense corps comprised primarily of AHL bodies, with Jeremy Lauzon, Connor Clifton, and Jakub Zboril all asked to play roles likely above their ceiling in 2018.

The 41-year-old Chara missed nine games last season due to an upper-body injury, and had a previous run-in with a knee injury back in 2014 when the 6-foot-9 captain was injured in a collision with then-Islanders center John Tavares.

Chara heads to the shelf with three goals and four points in 18 games this season.