By: James Swindells / Follow me on Twitter @jimswindells68
As with every season over the past 15 years, the Bruins enter the upcoming season hoping to raise the Stanley Cup in June. But this season, the Bruins will face the first quarter of their schedule without vital cogs that have played integral roles in cementing the team’s identity in the past. While Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk recover from offseason surgeries, the Bruins will have an opportunity to assess where some players stand in the team’s plans this season and beyond.
The 20-something game window before Marchand, McAvoy, and Grzelcyk return gives forwards Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic and defencemen Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton, and Jack Ahcan a chance to slide into the lineup on a full-time basis. For some, this audition period could be the “make or break” moment of their careers with the Bruins. It will be a critical time for the Bruins as they look to do more than tread water while hopefully gaining contributions from players who have had inconsistent starts to their Bruins careers.
With Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery adjusting line combinations to make up for the absence of Marchand, it allows Jack Studnicka to slot in at his natural center position and fulfills the promise shown at every level except for his time in Boston. The chance afforded him will likely come with fourth-line minutes, and the keys to his success and keeping a full-time hold on the position are relatively straightforward.
Play the three-zone game as expected, deliver face-off wins that provide puck possession and allow for opportunities that come from it, and play a stronger, more decisive defensive game than seen in previous stints in Boston. The expected offensive production will come with improved play in the neutral and defensive zones. With an entire training camp devoted to building chemistry with his potential linemates, it will likely be the best chance Studnicka has to stick in Boston long-term.
If the Bruins find their only option is to designate Studnicka to Providence, they risk losing him as he will need to clear waivers. This factor may end Studnicka’s time with the Bruins organization, and what was viewed as a piece to the Bruins’ top-six forward group of the future will necessitate another move to fill that void.
Trent Frederic will likely see more growth with Montgomery leading the Bruins than seen previously under Bruce Cassidy. Frederic’s game has veered wildly since his early days in Providence. While his production numbers have never been jaw-dropping, the introduction of grit and snarl into his game has found him at times losing focus and forming bad habits, and taking untimely penalties.
While the Bruins welcome the rough stuff, Frederic’s undisciplined play landed him in Cassidy’s doghouse, and he found himself benched or scratched. The upcoming season and a fresh start with Montgomery allow Frederic to get his game back to a level that provides the Bruins with a power forward who can bring his skills to the forefront while using the grit/snarl when necessary.
This consistency will likely be what ultimately finds Frederic filling the opening the team has on its roster. Following this season, Frederic finds himself as a restricted free agent, and how his development goes, the Bruins’ commitment towards him will go as they determine his fit with the franchise.
While the forwards try to find a way to make up for the absence of Brad Marchand and keep the Bruins trending in a positive direction, the blue liners will be looking at a trio of players to take the next step. Part of that step requires making up almost 45 minutes of ice time that both Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk compile every game. The trio of Connor Clifton, Jakub Zboril, and Jack Ahcan have situations similar to that of Studnicka and Frederic. All are looking to cement a spot full-time and, in Clifton’s and Zboril’s case, move past uneven starts to their Bruins careers.
Clifton had a strong 2021-22 season paired with Derek Forbort, but the jury is still out on the Quinnipiac product. During McAvoy and Grzelcyk’s absence, Clifton likely gets paired alongside Forbort as the duo looks to build on their success as the bottom pairing. Clifton has shown to be a physical player, a confident puck mover, and not afraid to take the occasional risk. “Cliffy Hockey” was born during the Bruins’ 2019 playoff run in which he helped the Bruins overcome a two-goal deficit in Game One vs. St. Louis. Since then, the highs have been tempered by erratic play due to his riverboat gambler style.
With the Forbort pairing, Clifton found a partner who compliments his style. Breaking up the duo would go against the chemistry found between the two. The pair starts the lion’s share of their shifts in either the defensive or neutral zone, and it is apparent where the expectations of their play lean. During the first quarter of the season, they will likely be looking at second pairing minutes and need to continue giving the Bruins large margins in shots on goal and scoring chances, as seen in their time on the ice last season.
Something that the Bruins will need in large quantities to survive the McAvoy/Grzelcyk absences. Clifton becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 season, and the growth showed since the Forbort pairing must progress if he is to have a continued role in the Bruins’ plans.
When Jakub Zboril tore his ACL in a December victory over Nashville, it put the brakes on a season where Zboril looked like he would finally lock down one of the top six blue line spots. Factoring into his improved play were bolder decisions in the offensive zone, better puck movement, and, most importantly, improved play in the back third of the ice.
Even with the injury abruptly ending Zboril’s season, Don Sweeney showed that Zboril fits into the Bruins’ plans and signed him to a two-year extension in May. Zboril has been slow in developing, seeing him play in only 54 games in Boston since being drafted 13th overall in the 2015 draft. He had three seasons of solid play in Providence and had shown himself as a capable defender at the AHL level.
His solid play in the “A” asked if it could translate to the big team. The question remains unanswered, but it appears Zboril is moving in the right direction. Zboril will likely secure a starting role out of training camp and could find himself slotted with Mike Reilly in the bottom pair. Zboril will have an opportunity to get significant minutes by playing on his off-side before McAvoy and Grzelcyk return. Also, the comfort Zboril has shown playing his off-side gives the Bruins another option while they attempt to figure out what to do with the abundance of left-side defenders. By all appearances, Zboril looks to take a big step this season.
Jack Ahcan moves into his third season with the Bruins looking to show that he belongs in the NHL. The undrafted defenceman from St. Cloud State signed with the Bruins in 2021. In his 65 games in Providence, Ahcan has produced a scoring line of 7-26-33, mainly while being a top pair D-man. He possesses a strong offensive game with excellent vision through the neutral zone and into opposing teams’ defensive zones. His puck-carrying skills can sometimes pull one out of their seat and notice that there is something the Bruins could benefit from while looking beyond his undersized frame.
The 5’9″ and 180-pound Ahcan draws comparisons to former Bruin Torey Krug, and his style of play is something the Bruins are looking to incorporate further into their identity. With the hiring of Montgomery, the team hopes to open things up from an offensive standpoint; Ahcan could benefit from this change in philosophy. In his time in the AHL, Ahcan quarterbacked the P-Bruins power play and worked on the team’s penalty kill unit.
He has proven in the “A” that he could give the Bruins more depth on the blue line with positive development in training camp. Ahcan is armed with a team-friendly contract, and along with a great training camp and a chance to play regularly, he could give the Bruins a decision concerning how the Bruins look to alleviate some salary cap concerns.
Ahcan becomes a restricted free agent following this season, making his “make or break” opportunity this season important for both sides. If successful, Ahcan gives the Bruins a component they are looking to add to their new philosophy. As for Ahcan, he will find himself with long-term stability and an opportunity to become a future building block on the Bruins blue line corp.
None of the offseason surgery recoveries the Bruins find themselves dealing with are ideal. The fact that they coincide with the beginning of the season gives Boston some leeway to identify talent from within their organization. The problem is known before the start of training camp, giving coaches and management an advanced window to lay out a plan of attack.
Overcoming the absences of Marchand, McAvoy, and Grzelcyk by finding solutions internally with their youth gives the Bruins a view as to where they can take the team with a younger core of players. The sexier approach is to sign aging veteran players that address the issue-at-hand with shortsighted results when the Bruins need long-term solutions.
The Bruins’ lack of depth with young assets in their system potentially puts them at risk in a future without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Getting positive results early in the season and progressing throughout will go a good way toward finding solutions to those eventualities concerning Bergeron and Krejci.
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