( Above Photo Credit:  NHL .com )

By: Mark Allred              Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

That’s certainly a tough title for me to write but the influx of prospects in the Boston Bruins system may force this B’s organization to make some drastic moves to facilitate the younger youth outplaying current members of this team. As a fellow New Englander myself, the story of Frank Vatrano is always a great thing as you want local players to succeed as the sport continues to gain popularity, especially in the Northeastern Part of the United States.  With the Bruins first game of the 2017-18 National Hockey League campaign set to drop the puck this coming Thursday against the Nashville Predators, the roster is starting to take shape, and the unfortunate demotions to players like Vatrano are inevitable.

Even though Frank is set to play in his third year of his entry-level contract he is not waiver exempt as pointed out to me earlier today by Bruins fans and fantastic Twitter follows @Spoked_B and @bruinscapspace as they shared some very interesting information about Vatrano’s contract status.

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The 23-year-old East Longmeadow, Massachusetts native has appeared in 83 NHL career games and earned 28 points in his first two years with the Bruins organization. If he clears waivers if in fact sent down to the American Hocke Leagues Providence Bruins, he’ll be a key asset to an impressive lineup with the B’s top minor-pro affiliate. Also, can’t forget about his time in the AHL where he scored 39 goals in just 43 career games.

Vatrano’s Potential Replacement

After his first professional hockey season, last year with Providence, 2015 first round selection Jake DeBrusk took hold of what it means to be a Bruins player and the expectations of a first rounder with a solid rookie year where he posted 49 points in 74 games. The beginning of the 2016-17 AHL season for the 20-year-old Edmonton, Alberta native was definitely an adjustment time to the higher level of play, but I thought he really turned up his game in December and continued into the playoffs where he contributed nine points in 17 games.

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DeBrusk came into this summer offseason with one goal in mind, and he’s certainly on the right road to achieving that feat when the Bruins first game on Thursday night and could very well be his first career game as he’s just shown that he wants it more than Vatrano. The offseason workouts, Development Camp, right into this main camp and preseason games the kid is impressing Bruce Cassidy and coaching staff and definitely gaining fan conversation as many are seeing him for the first time since being selected in 2015. For those who don’t know about DeBrusk’s game or what kind of Bruins he’ll be, EliteProspects.com’s Curtis Joe had this to say in his scouting report.

A two-way winger with good mobility and scoring ability. Willing to battle in the dirty areas and can always find the puck and make the smart play below the hash marks. Shows good creativity and deception with the puck. Good individual skills and makes good use of any time and space found. DeBrusk won’t beat you up physically, but he can definitely beat you up on the scoreboard. All-in-all, a competitive two-way winger with the natural goal scorer’s instincts. (Curtis Joe, EP 2015)