By: Tim Burke | Follow me on Twitter / X @timsports3
Following a second straight season that resulted in a home-ice elimination loss to the Florida Panthers, where the Boston Bruins were pushed around, General Manager Don Sweeney clearly stressed building a bigger, stronger, and heavier roster. Signing 6 foot 6 defender Nikita Zadorov to a six-year, $30 million contract greatly emphasized that point. However, despite the significant additions of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov this summer, Boston’s most impactful addition this season has been Forward Mark Kastelic.
The 25-year-old forward spent three seasons with the Ottawa Senators, bringing speed and grit to the Senators’ bottom-six forward group.
On June 24th, Kastelic was traded to the Boston Bruins along with Joonas Korpisalo for Vezina-winning goaltender Linus Ullmark. Perhaps the least-known player in the trade, Kastelic has undoubtedly made the most significant impact out of any player involved in the summer’s most considerable blockbuster trade.
In 25 games, Kastelic has three goals and six assists for nine points. It seems inevitable he will surpass his career-high of 11 points in 65 games. His contributions are not always seen on the scoresheet. The 6 foot 4 forward has played an extremely physical game. His 98 hits are the most on Boston’s roster and rank fifth in the National Hockey League. For a player of Kastelic’s size, his speed is another attribute that has stood out this season—his 14.6-speed bursts above 20 MPH per 60 minutes rank 13th among NHL forwards.
However, perhaps Kastelic’s greatest attribute is his work ethic. He uses his size, physicality, and speed on the forecheck to outwork and wear down the opposing defense.
“He changed the tide of the game. … Guys like him, you never really, truly understand how valuable they are. They’re the guys that really carry the team in the toughest times.” Brad Marchand said of Kastelic following his teammate’s two fight nights in a 1-0 win over the Utah Hockey Club.
In watching the Bruins this season, it is abundantly clear they have yet to play to their identity. “We have good players in this room and they’re capable of more, and it’s our job as a coaching staff to make sure that we get it out of them. I think it starts there with our work ethic.” Bruins Head Coach Joe Sacco told reporters when he took over for Jim Montgomery in late November.
The Boston Bruins’ work ethic has made them one of the most successful franchises in NHL history. For 100 years, they have played an aggressive, hard-nosed, gritty style of hockey. No team outworks the Boston Bruins or pushes them around. For 100 years, the Boston Bruins have defined blue-collar hockey.
No current Bruin plays to the identity that has made the Boston Bruins successful for a century like Mark Kastelic. His playing style, characterized by his physicality, speed, and relentless work ethic, aligns perfectly with the blue-collar style of hockey that the Bruins are known for.
As the Boston Bruins strive to enhance their roster, construct a Stanley Cup-contending team, and potentially make tough decisions about the future of the current Boston Bruins, one decision should be straightforward: extending Mark Kastelic’s contract. As a soon-to-be Restricted Free Agent, Kastelic is a player who can bring game-changing physicality, speed, and energy that can define a bottom-six forward group for years to come.
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