Bruins Roster Review: Where Final Decisions Leave Team Entering Season

After three weeks of training camp, the Boston Bruins are finally ready to start the regular season and have set their opening night roster.n

The lineup isn’t too far off from what was expected, but the final round of roster cuts did provide a few surprises, most noticeably a lack of youth or very many of the team’s offseason additions.

Still, the Bruins delivered on their promise that competition in training camp was going to be intense. The coaching staff and front office had to make some hard decisions as the battle for the last few spots on the team came down to the absolute wire.

Let’s review who made the cut, who didn’t, and what it all means for the upcoming year.

Forwards:

First Line:

The first line of Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, and David Pastrnak was never in doubt. The trio ended last season on a hot streak and new head coach Marco Sturm has reunited them, hoping they can produce at least at an equal rate, if not more.

That shouldn’t be an issue for Pastrnak, whose coming off his third-straight 100-point season. Geekie and Lindholm, though, who knows.

Geekie had a career-high 33 goals last season. It’s unlikely he will replicate that output and score on 22, yes, TWENTY-TWO, percent of his shot attempts. That’s not to say he’ll completely fall off a cliff. But 22–28 goals is a much more realistic expectation. As for Lindholm, he’ll have to be the No. 1 center the Bruins signed him to be last offseason. After having a rough introduction to Boston, he won’t be able to redeem himself if he fails to meet those expectations again.

Either way, these three will pull the Bruins as far as they can go. How much work they have to do depends on everyone else behind them.

Second Line: 

Every other decision the Bruins made up front was dictated by this line.

Sturm was very much intrigued by the idea of playing Pavel Zacha down the middle, but that would’ve pushed several players down the depth chart and likely force the team to demote its most promising young player to the minors.

Instead, Zacha will play the left wing next to Casey Mittelstadt, with Viktor Arvidsson on the other side. However, Zacha will still operate much like a center. A reliable, 200-foot player, he will make up for the deficiencies Mittelstadt has playing in his own end.

That said, this line will see the majority of its shifts start in the attacking zone, where Mittelstadt–as skilled of a playmaker as there is in the NHL–can dish pucks to Zacha and the shoot first Arvidsson to, hopefully, provide the Bruins with some scoring depth.

Third Line: 

While the Bruins will primarily use their second line in offensive situations, the third line will most often be used defensively.

Fraser Minten endeared himself to Sturm with his high defensive acumen, and has firmly established himself as a full-time NHL player. Still, he’s only 21-year-old, and opposing teams will go out of their way to take a run at him. That’s where Tanner Jeannot comes in. He’ll be Minten’s heavy and give the Bruins their money’s worth after signing him to five-year, $17 million contract this offseason.

With the pest that is Mikey Eyssimont on the other side, this line, in theory, should be miserable to play against.

Fourth Line:

Speedy and energy. That’s all the Bruins are asking of their fourth line, and it won’t be an issue for Sean Kuraly, Mark Kastelic and Marat Khusnutdinov.

Kuraly and Kastelic were attached at the hip from the start of training. Khusnutdinov, however, was a late addition to the line.

He’ll more than likely will see time on the other three at one point or another this year as well.

The Extras: 

John Beecher made it through the final round of roster cuts, but only barely. Of all the players on the Bruins last season, he was the one that was least noticeable, essentially disappearing for the 70 games of the season. Nevertheless, the former first-round pick still has a spot in Boston, at least for now. His ability to play both the wing and center was surely a reason why.

The Bruins also decided to hold onto Jeffery Viel, and it’s unclear why. The veteran grinder spent most of his time in the AHL last season, and seemed destined to do the same this year.

With him, Jeannot, Kastelic, and Nikita Zadorov on the roster, the Bruins will easily lead the league in fighting majors.

Defense:

The Bruins are taking a balanced approach on their back line, with each pairing constructed to bring as much on offense as it does on defense.

Seeing Mason Lohrei on the top pairing may send shivers down some spines, but the added minutes will help the young defenseman develop while Charlie McAvoy serves his safety blanket.

Having McAvoy back healthy this year will only improve Boston’s play in its own zone, as is the same for Hampus Lindholm, after the two missed a combined 87 games last season.

Working with Lindholm will be Andrew Peeke, who will try to fill the role that Brandon Carlo had for so long, as a steady presence on the middle pair that can log difficult minutes on the penalty kill.

Rounding out the group are Zadorov and Henri Jokiharju. The duo worked well enough in their handful of games together last season. It will be intriguing to see how their opposing play styles–and personalities–perform over a larger sample size.

Goalies:

If the Bruins’ ceiling will be determined by their top line, their floor will be determined by their play in net.

Jeremy Swayman struggled in his first season as a true No. 1 netminder last season after missing all of training camp. Participating in full this year should help Swayman bounce back, as will having Joonas Korpisalo pushing for more playing time.

Korpisalo, for the most part, was steady last season. He had is share of bad games, but typically gave the Bruins a chance to win whenever he was between the posts. Still, he only appeared in 27 games, and had to compete for his job in camp this year.

Both goalies performed well in the preseason. They need to be even better now that the games actually count.

The Cuts:

Matthew Poitras: This was the first time Poitras failed to break camp with the Bruins since he turned pro, and it’s probably for the best. The 21-year-old has struggled to produce in the NHL while looking like a boy amongst men, and it’s clear he needs more time to develop. He’ll have another chance. The Bruins aren’t giving up on him.

Fabian Lysell: It may be time for the Bruins to reconsider their long-term plans for Fabian Lysell. This is the fourth time the former 2021 first-round pick will start the year in the minors. He wasn’t all that effective in training camp, and didn’t even make it to the final round of cuts.

Matej Blumel and Alex Steeves: For a team that’s clearly going to have a hard time scoring goals, it’s puzzling why neither Matej Blumel nor Alexander Steeves made the opening night roster. The forwards were the top two goalscorers in the AHL last season, netting 39 and 36 goals, respectively, and the Bruins signed both in hopes they’d provide scoring depth. If neither are on the roster, what was the point of adding them in the first place?

Michael DiPietro: It’s clear why Michael DiPietro didn’t make the roster. The reigning AHL goalie of the year looked below average in the preseason and didn’t pose much of a threat to Korpisalo. There’s a good chance another team scoops him up on the waiver wire. Of course, the Bruins didn’t want to lose him for nothing in free agency, but now that might the case anyway.

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