It’s just about decision time for the Bruins. After Tuesday night’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, Boston coach Jim Montgomery said he expects to get pretty much down to his opening night team by the weekend.
Is Matt Poitras ready for the NHL?
Montgomery had previously said that he anticipates his lineup for Thursday’s preseason finale being pretty close to his opening night lineup, but acknowledges there are “tough decisions” looming and that “there are some guys that are making it harder.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Bruins have 33 players left in NHL camp. That means there are 10 or 11 cuts to go – likely 11 since they’ll probably only have enough cap space to keep 22 players rather than the maximum of 23.
So, before those cuts start rolling in over the next few days, let’s take a stab at projecting the Bruins’ opening night roster:
Forwards (13)
James van Riemsdyk – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand – Matt Poitras – Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic – Charlie Coyle – Morgan Geekie
Milan Lucic – Johnny Beecher – Jakub Lauko
Danton Heinen
When I did my first projection last week, after the third preseason game, I thought that Poitras and Beecher were very close, but still had some work to do and needed to finish camp strong. Well, they’ve done more work, they’re finishing strong, and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve earned their spots.
Poitras (pronounced PAW-trah for anyone still playing catch-up) played back-to-back nights Monday and Tuesday, the only Bruin to do so. He was their best player Monday night. He wasn’t quite as good Tuesday, but he finished strong in the third period and scored an impressive game-tying goal when he spun off Evgeny Kuznetsov out of the corner, drove to the net, and finished past Darcy Kuemper.
“Overall, he competed,” Montgomery said of Poitras’s game Tuesday night. “What you like is that he lost some battles, but he comes back and wins battles. That was a big goal he scored to tie it up. He continues to show a lot of poise with the puck.”
The Bruins can keep Poitras in Boston for up to nine regular-season games without burning a year off his entry-level contract. At that point, they would have to decide to either keep him or send him back to the Guelph Storm in the OHL. He is not eligible to play in the AHL. At the very least, he has done enough to earn that extended look.
The Bruins could slot Poitras in as the third-line center and keep Coyle in the top-six role he’s been projected to step into since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired. However, Poitras’s playmaking game really seems better-suited to more skilled wingers and more offensive situations, so putting him between Marchand and DeBrusk seems like something worth exploring. Coyle would then slide back to his usual third-line spot.
Geekie had been penciled in as the third-line center, but a relatively quiet preseason opens the door for him to either be bumped down to fourth-line center or over to the wing. Putting him on the wing next to Coyle and Frederic would give the Bruins a big, puck possession-type third line.
Plus, there’s someone else who has looked pretty good in the fourth-line center role: Beecher. He has effectively used his speed to drive transition and help create offense, and he’s done the defensive grunt work required of this role. He’s also won 63.6% of his faceoffs this preseason, and Montgomery has been open about his desire to have another left-shot faceoff man in addition to Zacha.
“I thought he was really good,” Montgomery said of Beecher’s play Tuesday night. “I thought he won a lot of battles that created offense. He got a lot of good offense from defense, which is something that was very encouraging to see. He played a really good hockey game.”
If Poitras and Beecher both make the team, and with Frederic and Lucic locked in as two of the bottom-six wings, there are likely two spots left. Lauko has been a little up-and-down this preseason, but his combination of speed and physicality and solid play down the stretch last season should be enough to get him in. He has looked like an especially good fit on a line with Beecher and Lucic, with those three combining for Boston’s third goal Tuesday. Lauko would be a prime candidate to get claimed by another team if the Bruins waive him.
The final spot could go any number of ways. Patrick Brown or Marc McLaughlin would provide more center depth and versatility. Jesper Boqvist could inject more speed into the group. A.J. Greer brings physicality and a willingness to drop the gloves. Trevor Kuntar’s high compete level has resulted in a strong camp that no one is talking about (he leads the Bruins in 5-on-5 shots, scoring chances and expected goals this preseason while playing just two games). Oskar Steen has played well this preseason, too, and has generally acquitted himself well during past NHL call-ups.
The leader of the pack may very well be old friend Danton Heinen, though. While he’s still not flashy or overly physical, he remains a player who just does a lot of little things well, who can play either wing, who can kill penalties and even fill in on the second power-play unit, and who can move up and down the lineup a bit without ever looking out of place. Even in a down season offensively, he had better 5-on-5 production than Boqvist last year. Two years ago, he scored a career-high 18 goals. He has played well this preseason.
Heinen’s versatility and reliability would make him the safe pick. The Bruins would need to sign him to a contract, likely for under $1 million, as he is currently on a professional tryout. It would not be surprising, though, if they instead go with Boqvist, who is three years younger and probably has more upside. Brown, Greer and Steen could clear waivers and be assigned to Providence. McLaughlin and Kuntar can be sent down without waivers. (UPDATE: In fact, McLaughlin and Kuntar were sent down on Wednesday.)
Defense (7)
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort – Kevin Shattenkirk
Ian Mitchell
Top prospect Mason Lohrei has certainly made a strong push this preseason. Playing next to McAvoy Tuesday night, he drew praise from Montgomery for jumping into the offense, which resulted in him scoring the Bruins’ second goal of the game.
It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Lohrei make the opening-night roster, but the guess here is that the Bruins still feel good enough about their established top six that they send Lohrei to Providence to start. He will play top minutes there and can continue to work on the defensive side of his game and his physical play. Being the seventh D in Boston and not playing regularly would not be ideal for his development. He would almost certainly be the first call-up in the event of injury or poor play.
The only change on defense from our last projection is Mitchell supplanting Jakub Zboril as the seventh D. Mitchell, acquired from Chicago in the Taylor Hall trade, has played well this preseason, especially when it comes to activating in the offensive zone. He could be a particularly good insurance policy for Shattenkirk on the right side and even push the veteran for playing time.
Zboril has struggled to make an impact and could be destined for more long stretches of inactivity if the Bruins keep him. Even if there were an injury on the left side, Lohrei would probably be the next man up over Zboril at this point. It could be time for a change of scenery, which Zboril would get if another team claims him off waivers.
Goalies (2)
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
No changes or surprises here.