Report: Devils' Brodeur Doesn't Expect Quick Return

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- The Devils are going to have to make do without goaltender Martin Brodeur for a little while.

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Brodeur probably won't return this week from a sprained MCL.

"That's what I sprained," Brodeur told Rich Chere on Sunday. "I think if I wasn't a goalie it'd be different to be able to get back and do different things. But the positions that I have to put myself in, right now it doesn't feel quite right enough to try it. I don't want to come back and hurt it again."

Brodeur, 38, was hurt when something "popped" in his knee in the first period of a 4-1 win over the Canadiens in Montreal on February 6. An MRI on Monday disclosed the sprain.

The injury will not require surgery, but general manager Lou Lamoriello refused to say much more than that last week.

"I'm feeling good. I'm feeling better. We'll see what the next couple of days bring," Brodeur said. "I have no time frame for going back on the ice because I really don't know. It could be 3-4 days or it could maybe another week."

So will Brodeur be able to skate before week's end?

"I doubt it. Not this week," he said. "Unless I'm able to get back on the ice, then maybe the weekend game (in Carolina) could be an option. But right now I'm not even looking at that."

Will the Devils miss Marty? Let us know what you think in the comments below!