By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter/X @Jainchill_Ryan
In an off-season spent addressing needs and improving positions, the Boston Bruins find themselves without an identified second-line right winger. With Jake DeBrusk heading west after signing with Vancouver, many players will have the opportunity in training camp to fill that hole in the Bruins’ lineup. But who would give Boston the most production out of that position?
The player with perhaps the highest upside at the second-line right-wing spot is rookie Fabian Lysell. The Bruins’ 2021 first-round selection has yet to appear in an NHL game, spending his first two professional seasons in Providence. The talented Gothenburg, Sweden, native recorded 15 goals and 35 assists in 56 games for the P-Bruins last season, tallying 13 more points than the season prior in two more games.
Injuries have plagued Lysell’s time in Providence; he has yet to play a full 72-game season. In the 2023-24 season, Lysell suffered an injury at the end of the season that caused him to miss the majority of the postseason, only appearing in one game in the team’s series loss to the Hartford Wolfpack. In a press conference in Las Vegas before the 2024 draft, Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeney stated that Lysell would have received a shot up in Boston towards the end of the season if he had not suffered that injury.
Lysell’s killer speed and puck-handling ability must be on full display at training camp and in preseason games if the 21-year-old wants to make the Bruins’ opening night roster. If he does, Lysell could find himself alongside Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle, bringing more speed to that line and providing another offensive spark in the Bruins’ top six.
If Jim Montgomery and his staff desire more experience in the top six, Morgan Geekie is certainly a quality option. The Manitoba native had a career year in his first season in Boston after inking a two-year, two-million dollar deal last season. He scored 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points, setting a career-high in the three aforementioned stats. Geekie’s 76 regular season games and 13 playoff games were spent almost entirely in the Bruins’ top nine, playing center for most of the second half of the season.
The 26-year-old forward’s physicality and willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice earned him more and more trust from Montgomery as the season went on, with Geekie seeing top-six minutes in the postseason. In those 13 games, Geekie tallied four goals, two of which came in the Toronto series and two of which came in the Florida series. If his performance last season is an indication of what Geekie can do playing top-six minutes, he will certainly be a top option to flank Coyle and Marchand and likely be the favorite heading into training camp.
Last season, Trent Frederic had a stellar season on the Bruins’ third line, notching 18 goals and 22 assists while appearing in all 82 games. The St. Louis, Missouri, native’s blend of scoring and physicality has turned him into a fan favorite in Boston. Frederic’s breakout came in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points, erasing his previous career-high of 18 points the season prior. His steady improvements have earned the 26-year-old more ice time, averaging 13:45 of ice time while playing in all situations.
Frederic might not have the offensive upside that Lysell may have, but he does have experience playing alongside Marchand and Coyle, with whom he has played numerous times over the last two seasons. If Montgomery and his staff want to prioritize chemistry and add a physical presence on that second line, Frederic fits that bill. But if Montgomery desires offensive creativity on the second line, Frederic could find himself on the third line, where he has thrived the past two seasons.
Another player who spent last season in Providence who could make a push for the second-line right-wing spot is Georgii Merkulov. The Ryazan, Russia, native was nearly a point-per-game player in the AHL last season, scoring 30 goals and 35 assists in 67 games, and recording three assists in four playoff games. Merkulov’s scoring ability has certainly translated to the AHL from his time at Ohio State, where, in his lone season as a Buckeye, he notched 20 goals and 14 assists. His play in Providence earned him a look-up in Boston last season, appearing in four games at the end of December and into early January. In four games as a bottom-six center for the Bruins, Merkulov failed to record a point.
If Merkulov were to have a stellar camp and earn himself a roster spot on the right side, it would be the first time he has been deployed on the right wing during his time in the Bruins organization. In Providence, Merkulov has been slotted at center in 118 of the 142 regular season games he has dressed, with the remaining 24 coming on the left wing.
That said, it’s difficult to see the 23-year-old starting the season as the Bruins’ second-line right-winger. But if he has a strong training camp, Merkulov could find himself as a winger on the third line, possibly on the right side, to ease him into top-six wing minutes and give him experience at that position.
The Bruins could also go down the professional try-out (PTO) route and hope for the same success they had with Danton Heinen last season. Sweeney would likely look down the veteran road, finding guys who have top-six experience with a scoring touch. Some options that fit that criteria are Mike Hoffman, old friend Ondrej Kase, Dominik Kubalik, Filip Zadina, Kevin LaBanc, Max Pacioretty, and 2023-24 Bruin James van Riemsdyk. While some of those options might be gone by September, it’s worth giving at least one of these players a look at training camp to see if there’s a possible fit with this roster.
Heading into training camp, the second-line right-wing position is likely Geekie’s to lose. In his two seasons, Montgomery has relied heavily on veteran presence in the Bruins’ top-six, thus making it harder for someone like Lysell or Merkulov to start the season on that line. There is certainly a case to be made for any of the aforementioned players, including PTOs, but the likes of Lysell, Merkulov, or even Frederic would have to put pressure on the coaching staff in order to find themselves in that position. Even if one of the younger players does not start the season on the second line, there is certainly a chance they make the roster out of camp and find themselves in that position at some point in the 2024-25 season.
Brazeau, Justin.
I expect he’d be more consistent than debrusk. Net front presence. 2nd power play unit.
Dollars vs Donut’s he outperforms the totals debrusk put up last season.
Lysell at 176#. NEVER coming to the NHL as light in weight as a freshman highschool track n field athlete