How often do NHL teams get to witness training camp battles right before the playoffs? This notion could be one of the few positive wrinkles in the league’s Return to Play tournament and the Boston Bruins may be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
As it is, the Bruins will be a favorite to win the Stanley Cup thanks to their excellent combination of talent, experience and depth. And that depth will be on full display in Toronto as coach Bruce Cassidy decides on his lines when the Bruins begin playing their round-robin games as one of the East’s top-four seeds.
Part of this development is about necessity, of course. Trade deadline acquisition Ondrej Kase has been mysteriously absent from most team activities and has yet to fly to Toronto from Boston, though he is on the roster. Once he does arrive, he will have to quarantine for four days – so his absence will be extended no matter soon he is deemed ‘fit to play’ in the parlance of our times.
In Kase’s absence comes opportunity, however. Youngsters such as Jack Studnicka and Anders Bjork can both play right wing and if either of them takes off in the first round of the tournament, their coach would be hesitant to yank them in favor of Kase.
“It wouldn’t be automatic to put Ondrej in if a young kid was playing well,” Cassidy said. “If it’s a guy who was with us our whole playoff run last year and the regular season and I know he’ll be ready to do his job, it will be a little easier for me to give him his job back because of the trust factor. Ondrej came late – he came at the deadline. And that’s not a negative, it’s just I don’t know the player well enough now. He had only a handful of games to integrate himself in the group. So that would be an interesting one.”
It’s a good problem to have if it does occur. Studnicka has been a rising star in the organization since he was drafted in the second round back in 2017. This was his first pro season and the natural center dazzled, leading the AHL’s Providence Bruins in scoring with 49 points in 60 games while playing in all situations. The youngster’s seven shorthanded goals was also tops in the AHL, with no one else tallying more than four. Read More
