On Monday night, Ondrej Kase is going to play in his first game since Jan. 16. Above all else, it is just good to see him back on the ice. Missing nearly fourth months with a head injury is scary stuff, so just getting back at all is a success.
But Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins aren’t playing Kase Monday night just because it’s a feel-good story. There’s also an important question they’d like to get an answer to: Can Kase help them in the playoffs?
The Bruins are in a good spot in that they now have enough forward depth that they may not need the answer to be yes. There certainly seems to be a feeling at least among fans that if the Bruins get anything at all from Kase, it’s just a bonus.
There’s certainly some truth to that, but it’s also true that there’s really no such thing as too much depth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. What if Kase can help solidify a bottom six that has been playing better recently, but still isn’t quite set in stone?
Make no mistake: There are still question marks on the Bruins’ third and fourth lines. Sean Kuraly has played well since moving up to third-line center and Charlie Coyle was starting to turn a corner on the wing next to him before getting hurt (he’s expected to be back for the start of playoffs), but it’s possible Cassidy may still want to move Coyle back to center and Kuraly back to the fourth line at some point.
If that were to happen, Kase could be a candidate to play on the right with Coyle and Nick Ritchie, a role that Jake DeBrusk wasn’t able to run with when he got a shot there after the trade deadline.
Even if Cassidy keeps Ritchie-Kuraly-Coyle as his third line (a logical choice considering they’ve outscored opponents 4-1 when together), the fourth line isn’t quite solidified yet.
Curtis Lazar looks pretty locked in as the center, especially if Kuraly stays on the third line. DeBrusk and Trent Frederic have both shown flashes on the left, while Karson Kuhlman has played well on the right, jumping ahead of Chris Wagner on the depth chart in the process. The combination of DeBrusk, Lazar and Kuhlman, in particular, gave the fourth line a speedier look that was really intriguing.
But what if Kase is an upgrade over Kuhlman? Kase at anything close to 100% certainly would be. Of course, we haven’t seen Kase at anything close to 100% since he got to Boston last February.
Kase played just six games with Boston before last season got put on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then he missed all of the Bruins’ two-week return-to-play camp before the playoffs for COVID-related reasons and was never quite able to find his footing in the postseason. This season offered a fresh start, but that fresh start lasted just four periods before he got hit up high by Devils forward Miles Wood.
We haven’t seen Kase’s potential in Boston yet, so it’s easy to think it’s just not there. And maybe we won’t see it now -- getting up to speed with little ramp-up time isn’t going to be any easier this time around than it was last year.
But it’s worth noting that there is potential there. Kase has been a high-end driver of play in the past, with his speed, puck-handling skills and vision allowing him to lead transitions and create chances. He has a 20-goal season under his belt back in 2017-18 and was on a 30-goal pace before getting hurt in 2018-19. And he’s still just 25, so this isn’t someone who’s past his prime. There’s a reason the Bruins were willing to trade a first-round pick for a combination of Kase and a David Backes salary dump.
While there is certainly value in having a set lineup going into the playoffs, more competition for playing time is never a bad thing, especially when it involves a talented player like Kase.
Kase will start with Lazar and DeBrusk on the “fourth” line Monday night. Both last summer and this preseason, DeBrusk and Kase were penciled in as the Bruins’ second-line wings. If they get going lower in the lineup, an already deep, dangerous forward group gets even deeper and even more dangerous.
“We didn’t expect it would take this long, but I’m so excited to be back,” Kase said Monday. “…I’m ready. I’m ready 100 percent. I’ve skated almost one and a half months, maybe two months. So I think my condition and everything will be very good. I hope I can help the team. I can’t wait.”
Obviously it’s entirely possible things won’t work out. Kase might just be too far behind to be a real contributor at this point. But it's absolutely worth the Bruins' time to see what they have here.