By: Gayle Troiani | Follow me on Twitter @LadyBruinsFan
In the latest rounds of roster moves, the Bruins cut several young players from the NHL roster, shocking fans and leaving most to scratch their heads in disbelief. Among the cuts was Marc McLaughlin who earned fans’ praise even before heading into camp due to his performance in the 11 games he played for Boston last season.
Although McLaughlin was having a solid camp and preseason, outplaying most of the veterans while fighting for a spot along with John Beecher and Fabian Lysell, he was cut and sent to the Providence Bruins for what Coach Jim Montgomery called focusing on the details of his game.
Montgomery praised McLaughlin for his offensive production and his tenacity on the puck, but he alluded to the fact McLaughlin needs to work on his physicality and growth as a hockey player so he could gain knowledge of how the Bruins want to play professional hockey.
Montgomery added that McLaughlin is a big part of the Bruins’ future, and the organization’s depth allows the young players to continue to grow and develop their game with valuable playing time in Providence.
Ironically, the Bruins’ brass and coaches have all said they need to integrate the young players into the line-up, give them a chance, and then do the exact opposite. There’s no denying some of the young players did outplay the veterans in camp and preseason, but being sent down to Providence should not be seen as a punishment but rather an opportunity to grow and strengthen their games. While it may be perceived as the wrong message to the fans, it is, in fact, the right decision.
McLaughlin, along with Lysell and Beecher, can only get better by playing 15 to 20 minutes a night in Providence versus less than 10 minutes in Boston. If fans are honest with themselves, they know the three youngsters will not get extended time on the ice, especially the power play or penalty kill when players like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak exist, all of whom played at least one season in Providence. Granted, Bergeron played during the 2004 lockout, but you can’t argue that it hurt him to be there.
Fans tend to be for the here and now and evaluate one or two games as the be-all-end-all instead of watching prospects for good habits, good decisions, and whether or not they display defensive liabilities that could outweigh the positives. Unfortunately, the same can be said about the same veterans the fans want the young players to replace; Nick Foligno, Tomas Nosek, and Trent Frederic.
Is it right to condemn players for what they have done in the past under a different coach before they even play one shift? If that’s the case, fans should be wary of Pavel Zacha playing on the Krejci-Pastrnak line because he wasn’t the picture of consistency in New Jersey and the lack of consistent play in Jake DeBrusk.
One thing is sure, the Bruins do have depth, and plenty of players would love the chance to take a veteran’s spot if they are underperforming.
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