By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
Let’s call a spade a spade; there aren’t many areas where the Boston Bruins are a better team than last season. Overall, their scoring is down, Jeremy Swayman has been (somewhat of a) letdown based on his contract, and their defense hasn’t been as stout as predicted. One area you can look at and say, ‘This team has gotten better,’ is the play of their fourth line. That line is most effective when Mark Kastelic leads it.
Kastelic’s introduction to the hub of hockey was an unheralded one. Most viewed him as the least interesting piece in the trade that sent former Vezina winner Linus Ullmark to Ottawa in exchange for the bruising forward, a 2024 first-round pick (Dean Letourneau), and goalie Joonas Korpisalo. It wasn’t until training camp rolled around that the 6’4″, 226lbs center began to raise eyebrows.
Kastelic (4-7-11 in 33 games) was slotted between newcomer Cole Koepke and youngster Johnny Beecher to start the season, and they were shot out of a cannon to start the year. Of all NHL lines that have played 141 minutes together, that trio currently leads in goal percentage with nine goals for and only one against. When we look at possession metrics, it’s clear this line has been dominant when they’re on the ice. They rank first in shot attempts against (only 71), first in shot attempts against per 60 (30.09), and fourth in shot attempt differential (58.5 percent).
In recent weeks, interim head coach Joe Sacco has opted to break up this trio in favor of a fourth line comprised of Koepke, Beecher, and Marc McLaughlin and a third line of Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle, and Kastelic. Although the team has had more success than their mediocre start to the season, the 2024-25 Boston Bruins are at their best with Kastelic on the fourth line. If you break it down player by player, this fact becomes even clearer.
When Kastelic is on the ice with Beecher, shots are 78-71, goals are 11-6, scoring chances are 66-64, and high-danger chances are 31-19. Without him, Beecher’s analytics suffer, with shots being 47-48, goals 2-4, scoring chances 37-42, and high-danger chances 17-13. Cole Koepke’s numbers tell the same story. Shots, goals, scoring chances, and high-danger chances are better when he’s skating with Kastelic.
Even when this team hasn’t been at their best, their fourth line has been an area of strength. It’s something that wasn’t last season and has been a hallmark of the great Bruins teams of our past. If the Boston Bruins want their best possible lineup, it starts with making the bottom two lines as effective as possible.
Adding Oliver Wahlstrom via waivers may make it easier for Sacco to effectively deploy his bottom six forwards. Kastelic has done an admirable job flanking Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic, but he and the team are at their best when he is anchoring the fourth line.
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