David Pastrnak could use a little help in the scoring department. With Bruins’ rookies officially reporting for duty on Wednesday, we will soon find out if that assistance can come from within the organization.
In 2023-24, Pastrnak led the Bruins with 110 points, a whopping 43 points more than second-highest point producer Brad Marchand. That gap was tied for the second largest in the league.
The leader was the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nikita Kucherov, whose 144 points was 54 points better than second on Tampa Bay’s scoring list, Brayden Point. Artemi Panarin (120 points) also produced a 43-point bulge over the Rangers’ next highest scorer, Vincent Trocheck.
Any team would love to have Pastrnak, Kucherov or Panarin on their team, of course, and their brilliance goes a long way toward to their respective teams’ regular-season success. They’re all compensated handsomely for it.
But to win a Stanley Cup, there needs to be more consistent support throughout the lineup. When the playoffs start, those players have targets on their backs, which is fine. It comes with the territory. But when a team can hyper-focus on one player, it doesn’t bode well. Perhaps it’s no coincidence the Cup champion Florida Panthers beat those three players on their way to the final with varying degrees of success in shutting down the superstars. Kucherov produced 0-7-7 in five games, Pastrnak was held to 1-2-3 in six games and Panarin had 1-3-4 in six games.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney did provide some of that help in the offseason. He signed two-way centerman Elias Lindholm, who’ll most like play with Pastrnak. Lindholm’s got skill in the offensive zone and his defensive prowess, along with the signing of mammoth defenseman Nikita Zadorov, should help the Bruins win those low-scoring games about which Coach Jim Montgomery lamented.
But the Bruins still could use some more oomph in the O-zone, especially on the second line where there’s a right wing opening. Maybe it will be filled by a veteran more suited for bottom-six duty. But the best case scenario would be for one of their promising young players to seize the spot.
Rookies report to Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday morning before heading to Buffalo for the annual Prospects Challenge that begins Friday and runs through Monday. The roster for the tourney will not be released until the players go through physicals Wednesday morning, but here are a few players worth watching, whether it’s in the rookie tourney or when the Bruins’ open the full camp Sept. 18. There could be more than one battle, too.
This is Lysell’s golden chance to make the jump. The Bruins’ first-round pick in 2021 (21st overall) is a right-shot wing who would fit nicely with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand, theoretically at least. After Providence Coach Ryan Mougenel expressed some frustration with the details of his game, Lysell made notable strides last year.
In his second season with the P-Bruins, he had 15-35-50 in 56 games. Though not the biggest player at 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, Lysell’s skill level would be a welcome addition to a team more than fine in the size department. If Lysell can earn a spot on that second line, Marchand could be very helpful in the wing’s development.
As Jake DeBrusk learned, cutting corners in order to make a pretty play is not an option – and DeBrusk (now a Vancouver Canuck) is the better player for it. Sweeney said Lysell was trending toward a call-up before he got hurt at the end of the season.
If he’s to compete for the open right wing spot, it would require Merkulov, a left-shot centerman, to change positions and play on his off side. That could be a big ask. But Merkulov, who has been working on his own defensive issues since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, can put the puck in the net.
After posting 24-31-55 in 67 games in 2022-23, he upped his output to 30-35-65 in in 67 games last season. He earned a three-game call-up at midseason and, though he played responsibly enough, he wasn’t able to light it up offensively. Another possible way he could earn a roster spot is if he outplays Matthew Poitras and takes the third line center spot.
Poitras, who’s added some weight in the offseason of rehabbing from shoulder surgery, is now an option to be sent to Providence. It will be interesting to see how Poitras will perform with 33 NHL games and full offseason under his belt.
Sweeney raised some eyebrows when he threw Duran’s name into the discussion when talking about the right wing competition. Duran was not a big goal scorer at Providence College (27 in 102 collegiate games).
But at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, the Woburn native fits the current Bruins mold of being big, hard to play against and strong along the walls. When he signed and played with the P-Bruins at the end of last season, Duran picked up two goals and two assists in 11 games, indicating his north-south game could translate well to the pro game.
The 26-year-old Bussi looked like the odd man out in the goaltending picture when the Bruins acquired Joonas Korpisalo in the Linus Ullmark deal. Korpisalo, despite a bad year in Ottawa last season, has a big league track record, which Bussi does not.
But Sweeney, who signed Bussi to a one-year extension just hours before acquiring Korpisalo, has said the former Western Michigan star would be given a fair chance to win the backup job behind Jeremy Swayman. Bussi has had two good seasons with the P-Bruins and has earned a long look in camp.
There’s also the little matter of Swayman’s contract negotiations which have yet to yield an extension. Both sides certainly don’t want to go down this road for long, but if training camp arrives and Swayman has not signed, the Bruins have two goalies ready to go.
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