For the second straight year at Media Day, there was a bit of an eerie feeling during the practice portion of the festivities.

Patrice Bergeron, who played the entire 2016-17 season with a sports hernia, left the ice early with a lower body injury. The longest-tenured Bruin is listed as day to day.

“He left early today. We’ll classify as day to day for now if that’s accurate,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said about Bergeron’s status during Tuesday’s press conference with Bruins management at Warrior Ice Arena. “We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow and we’ll have a much better update then.”

“I don’t want to speculate,” Cassidy added about Bergeron’s availability for Thursday’s season opener against the Nashville Predators. “It’s a lower body injury, and from there…I don’t expect it to be long-term, but I honestly can’t tell you.”

If Tuesday is any indication, Bergeron’s injury won’t be of the long-term variety.

Unlike last year where he exited before taking part of the Media Day festivities, Bergeron was front and center at his locker room stall answering questions from reporters. Of course, his injury and potential status was one of several questions asked in his scrum.

“I hope not,” Bergeron said about potentially missing Thursday’s 2017-18 opener at TD Garden. “I want to be in on Thursday for sure, and we’ll take it a day at a time and we’ll see what happens.”

Though lingering, Bergeron’s latest lower body injury isn’t related to any setbacks from his off-season surgery to repair a sports hernia. Bergeron, who used Monday as a maintenance day missed the first three games of 2016-17. The Bruins went 2-1-0 in that season-opening road trip.

Ryan Spooner filled in for Bergeron centering Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork upon Bergeron’s departure.

Krug skates with non-contact jersey

Torey Krug (non-contact) skated with his teammates for the first time since suffering a jaw injury on September 19. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

Following another setback during his first and only preseason contest against the Red Wings, Torey Krug joined his fellow teammates for the first time since taking a puck to the jaw area on September 19. The 5-foot-9 defenseman is unlikely to skate against the Predators, but at this point he is on schedule to return within his original three-week diagnosis.

Krug’s void opened up an unlikely spot on the blue-line for the season-opening roster, which is due at 5 pm on Tuesday. Fending off strong performances at camp from Rob O’Gara and Paul Postma, Matt Grzeclyk is the leading candidate to skate alongside Adam McQuaid against the Predators.

“They probably saw an opportunity to expand their role, and for the opportunity to be on our hockey club,” Sweeney said about the competition shown from Grzeclyk, O’Gara and Postma to fill Krug’s void. “I think it’s been as advertised in terms of them taking that next step [towards a roster spot].”