Savard/By S. Bradley

BOLTON, Mass. — In the back of their minds, many of the Bruins who won the Stanley Cup last June must’ve been thinking how great it would be to get a chance to go for the Cup again with center Marc Savard in uniform.

However, Savard’s post-concussion struggles have continued to the point that general manager Peter Chiraelli recently declared Savard unavailable for the entire 2011-12 season.

He will be missed.

“It’s tough. He’s a great hockey player. He’s been a big part of this team for the last five years. And he’s helped me a lot,” said forward Milan Lucic. “I remember my rookie year, when I was here four years ago, I spent a lot of time hanging out at his house, us two together. So it’s tough to see him go down the way he has the last couple years, and I think the main thing right now is focusing on getting himself healthy and worrying about his life more than hockey or anything like that.”

Nathan Horton luckily was able to recover from his concussion he suffered last June against Vancouver. Much like Savard in May of 2010 and last January, Horton seems ready to play again at full strength. He knows how lucky he is to not be in Savard’s position.

“He’s an unbelievable player, obviously. We missed him a lot last year,” said Horton. “With concussions, you just never know. They’re so dangerous now and luckily I feel good right now. But that’s not always the case that you feel good and that’s a tough situation I guess.”