Bruins
Johnny Beecher and Matthew Poitras might be in line to make their NHL debuts on Wednesday for Boston.
The Bruins’ forward corps at the outset of the 2023-24 season might finally be set.
Boston announced its latest round of roster cuts on Sunday afternoon, with veterans A.J. Greer and Patrick Brown both placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Providence.
Following those two cuts, the Bruins currently have 13 forwards left on their roster, with Danton Heinen potentially in line to stick around as that spare skater if Boston opts to tear up that PTO contract and sign him to a (likely league-minimum) deal.
Here are the 13 forwards remaining on Boston’s roster as of Sunday evening:
Johnny Beecher, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Danton Heinen, Jakub Lauko, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Matt Poitras, James van Riemsdyk, Pavel Zacha.
Beyond Heinen’s contract status, the rest of Boston’s forward personnel should be set in stone entering the team’s season opener against the Blackhawks on Oct. 11.
Though not official, Matthew Poitras seems like a lock to open the year with Boston, with the team now given nine games to see if the 19-year-old pivot has what it takes to remain up at the NHL ranks before deciding to either keep him up in the pros all year or send him back down to juniors.
With Brown and Greer both getting waived, the subsequent domino effect likely has Boston opening the year with two youngsters on their fourth line next to Milan Lucic.
Brown’s exit opens the door for Johnny Beecher to secure Boston’s fourth-line center spot — with the 2019 first-round pick earning his first look up in the NHL after a strong preseason slate.
Even though Greer was as advertised as a physical, energy-first winger during preseason action, his role likely took a hit after Lucic inked a one-year contract and will likely serve a similar function at left wing on Boston’s checking unit.
Jakub Lauko stands to be the winner for the right-wing spot on the fourth line, with both Beecher and Lauko’s speed complementing the heft that Lucic will bring on that forward grouping.
Boston still needs to sort out its actual four forward lines moving forward, while Don Sweeney and Montgomery still need to make at least one more cut on the team’s blue line before rosters are finalized at 5 p.m. on Monday.
The eight defensemen still on the roster are: Brandon Carlo, Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Ian Mitchell, and Kevin Shattenkirk.
As we’ve noted before, sending a promising prospect like Lohrei to Providence seems like the most likely move. Barring a surprise trade involving a skater like Derek Forbort or Matt Grzelcyk, it makes little sense to give Lohrei sheltered minutes up in the NHL ranks, especially when he can log 25+ minutes a night and skate on the power play down in Providence.
So long as Lohrei continues to build on the evident promise he displayed during the preseason, he could play himself into an in-season promotion within the next few months — especially if a veteran incumbent like Forbot or Kevin Shattenkirk start to struggle.
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