The Bruins suffered just their second regulation loss in their last 13 games Wednesday night, falling 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild. They didn’t have Patrice Bergeron, who missed the game due to a lingering arm issue that was at risk of infection. They will be without their captain and No. 1 center for at least one more game.
Not wanting to break up his second or third line, Bruce Cassidy elected to fill Bergeron’s spot between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk with usual fourth-line center Tomas Nosek. The results weren’t particularly impressive. In 11:37 with those three on the ice at 5-on-5, the Bruins got out-attempted 15-6, outshot 10-5, and outscored 1-0.
That’s not all Nosek’s fault by any means. He’s not a first-line center and was certainly out of place playing that high in the lineup, but that’s also a trio with no experience and no chemistry together. They didn’t even get a practice or morning skate together, as the Bruins didn’t have one Wednesday since they also played the night before. DeBrusk had a quiet night on his right, too.
Perhaps things would go better if they get another game together, but there’s a more intriguing option the Bruins could and very well may try there: Jack Studnicka.
The Bruins called up Studnicka from AHL Providence once Bergeron was ruled out, but he couldn’t get to Minnesota in time for Wednesday’s game. Cassidy didn’t reveal what his plan will be for Friday in Winnipeg, but he did acknowledge that Studnicka could go in between Marchand and DeBrusk.
The 23-year-old center has been in the midst of his hottest stretch of the season with AHL Providence, registering 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in his last nine games. We have seen Studnicka come up after good stretches in Providence and not produce in the past, though. He has just six points in 37 career NHL games, including playoffs. He has zero goals and two assists in 10 games with Boston this season.
It is worth noting, though, that most of Studnicka’s opportunities at center in the NHL have come on either the third or fourth line, a role that demands more of him defensively and hasn’t offered as much of an opportunity to show what he can do offensively. He got one period between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak in February, but that was about it.
Getting a full game on a line with Marchand, if it were to happen, would be arguably his best opportunity yet… at least for one night. There would be no guarantees that it would last any longer than that, as Bergeron could potentially return for the Bruins’ next game on Monday.
But every opportunity Studnicka gets at this point is important. The Bruins are getting to a point where they have to figure out what they really have in Studnicka, both for the present and the future.
In the present, they need to know if Studnicka can be a viable contributor in the event of injuries down the stretch and into the playoffs. Going forward, they’ll have to decide if Studnicka still has first- or second-line upside, or if depth player might be his ceiling.
One game on Friday wouldn’t decide either of those things, but the timing of it -- less than 72 hours before the trade deadline -- certainly makes that one game a little more interesting.
The Bruins acquiring a center would push Studnicka further down the current depth chart. Tomas Hertl came off the board on Wednesday after signing an extension with the Sharks, but there’s still at least one big fish in Claude Giroux and several smaller ones, including Andrew Copp, the versatile Jets forward that they’ll see Friday night and that they’ve been linked to a few times recently.
It’s also impossible to ignore the possibility of the Bruins including Studnicka in a trade package if the return is good enough. With the Bruins linked to everything from top-six forwards to top-four defensemen, just about every chip they have, with the possible exception of Fabian Lysell and maybe Mason Lohrei, should be in play.
They’re certainly not giving up on Studnicka, but he may not be as untouchable as he once seemed. The idea behind Studnicka being “untouchable” was that he was the only center prospect they had with legitimate second-line or higher upside. If the Bruins still value him that highly, he might still be untouchable. If they don’t, he could be in play.
The days leading up to the trade deadline can get pretty chaotic, especially for prospects and younger players who could be moved as part of a package at any point. But in the middle of that chaos, Studnicka just might find himself with a great opportunity to center the Bruins’ top line with Marchand on his wing. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see how he does there.
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