Thrashers’ Bogosian out six weeks with broken leg

New York — Zach Bogosian’s broken leg will keep him off the ice but not off the Thrashers.

Coach John Anderson already has taken steps to make sure his 18-year-old defenseman doesn’t feel isolated during his recovery, which general manager Don Waddell said won’t require surgery.

“We’ll monitor him more psychologically than anything right now,” Anderson said Thursday, adding that Bogosian will stay with some teammates’ families.

“You don’t want to feel lonely and by yourself and abandoned because you get injured, especially at 18. We’re well aware of the possible mental things he could go through.

“We may send him home for a week or two or fly his parents down, whatever we need to do to keep him mentally healthy.”

Waddell and Anderson both said the injury will have no affect on the Thrashers’ decision whether to keep Bogosian in the NHL all season or send him back to juniors.

Bogosian, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 draft, played in eight of the Thrashers’ first nine games and broke his fibula Tuesday on his first shift against Philadelphia. The Thrashers did not immediately call up a replacement from their American Hockey League farm club in Chicago. Waddell indicated the team might continue without a spare defenseman on its roster if they get good play from Nathan Oystrick, who will fill in for Bogosian. There’s no reason to bring up a prospect if that prospect won’t get into games, Waddell said.

“If you’re bringing up a veteran and he doesn’t play, I can live with that, but if you’re bringing up a young guy, these guys can’t go a week or two at a time without playing games,” Waddell said.