Andre Burakovsky has struggled mightily to stay healthy over the last few seasons, and that stretch has unfortunately continued in 2023-24. After starting the campaign on the Seattle Kraken's active roster, the 28-year-old missed 20 games after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 21.

In his first contest back from the ailment, Burakovsky was injured again in Thursday night's 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

“It's a little bit early to give a real outcome, but it appears he’ll be week to week,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said after the team's optional practice on Friday, per NHL.com's Darren Brown.

The Swedish winger was hit by Devils D-man Kevin Bahl late in the second period, and played one more shift in the frame before leaving for the locker room minutes later. He returned for the third stanza and played two shifts in the defeat.

The week-to-week diagnosis is just brutal for Burakovsky and the Kraken; the two-time Stanley Cup champion was a key piece of Seattle's 2022-23 roster, potting 13 goals and 39 points in just 49 games to lead the team in scoring.

That was before he suffered a season-ending torn groin on Feb. 7 that kept him out of Seattle's scintillating run to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Andre Burakovsky's new injury not related to previous ailments

Andre Burakovsky in a Seattle Kraken jersey

Hakstol confirmed that Burakovsky's current injury isn't related to any previous issue.

“It's been a tough run in terms of injuries for him,” the Kraken head coach admitted. “Obviously he's a guy that is very important to our hockey team when he's going in his top gear. It's been very difficult for him to put any type of stretch together of that nature, so I'm sure it's frustrating for him.”

It's certainly been a difficult stretch for the Austrian, who got into 80 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22 but will now be sidelined for a good chunk of his second consecutive season.

When healthy, the sniper is a key piece of the Kraken's top-six, and a proven playoff performer. He helped the Washington Capitals capture their first ever Stanley Cup in 2018, and was a key piece of the Avalanche team that won it all four seasons later.