Sports Hub Underground: Did the Bruins finally draft a legit center?

Author Matt Dolloff

October 5th, 2023 8:05 PM

The biggest story going into Boston Bruins training camp was the concerns at center in the post-Patrice Bergeron/David Krejci era. The biggest story coming out of camp is that they may have finally found a good young center for the future.

That would be 2022 second-round pick Matt Poitras, who has had a good-enough month to warrant serious consideration for starting the season in the NHL instead of juniors. The last Bruins forward to pull that off was Tyler Seguin. So, the kid’s playing really well, especially as a 19-year-old in his first professional experience.

Ty Anderson and I talked at length about Poitras and the Bruins’ other intriguing young players as part of the newest episode of the Sports Hub Underground, which you can hear in the above podcast. Ty describes Poitras as a potential “narrative-changer” when it comes to the Bruins’ situation at center, where Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha top the depth chart. Not ideal.

Poitras is unlikely to make a big impact in the NHL as a 19-year-old, and the safe bet is that he plays nine games with the Bruins before heading back to Guelph Storm in the OHL. But his apparent readiness for the NHL has been eye-opening at camp, and once he returns to the pros, he may never look back.

Sept. 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) celebrates a goal against the New York Rangers with defenseman Reilly Walsh (92) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

And it’s been a long time since the Bruins drafted a center high, then he looked like an actual future top-six guy. You’d have to go back to the aforementioned Seguin, then slog your way through Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Jack Studnicka, etc. Trent Frederic and Johnny Beecher are both NHL-caliber players and Beecher could be the fourth-line center this year, but for first-round picks they’re kinda ehhh.

But the emergence of Poitras should certainly have Bruins fans excited that they may have finally found something here. Our full thoughts on that and much more are in the podcast. Here’s the full rundown with timestamps…

(1:20) Opening banter on driving and more

(19:15) A brief aside on the Red Sox and Shohei Ohtani

(30:35) The latest from Bruins training camp

(1:18:21) Matt rants on the Patriots’ struggles

(1:38:37) Drafting the “Big 3” superpowers

(2:06:23) Brief thoughts on the Celtics’ addition of Jrue Holiday

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

Read more on the Boston Bruins below…

9 thoughts on 9 Bruins on the roster bubble

• Matt Poitras

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) celebrates a goal against the New York Rangers with defenseman Reilly Walsh (92) during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

• Boston’s top center prospect, Matt Poitras entered camp with the goal of making it difficult on the B’s management team to send him back to the Ontario Hockey League. When you’re a 19-year-old whose only options are the Bruins or Guelph and you set that kind of goal for yourself, you gotta be pretty damn close to undeniable. And Poitras has been exactly that.

  Given the nod for Tuesday’s contest despite playing in Monday’s affair in Philadelphia (and with some wonky travel for a back-to-back), Poitras delivered with a game-tying goal in the third period, was value-add at the faceoff dot, and showed that competitive fire that’s made him a borderline must-start when the NHL regular season kicks off next week.

  In action for four of the team’s five preseason contests to date, Poitras has recorded two goals and four points. Both are team highs. Poitras has also posted a 53.6 percent success rate at the dot, which is notable because if he does make the B’s squad, it’s going to be at center. The Bruins do not view the 5-foot-11, 180-pound or so Poitras as a wing at this point.

  So, what are the Bruins’ options with Poitras in the regular season? Because of the agreement between the CHL and NHL, the Bruins are able to give Poitras a nine-game sample before deciding whether or not they’ll return him to Guelph. The Bruins could send him back to Guelph after that nine-game sample, too, but it would burn the first year of his contract and the Bruins would not be able to recall him back to their roster until his OHL season comes to a close. Poitras is also unable to play any games in Providence until his juniors season comes to a close, and Providence would not suddenly become an option for Poitras should the Bruins decide to keep him around beyond the nine-game sample.

  The Bruins have not had a juniors-or-NHL forward stick on their NHL roster since Tyler Seguin in 2010, and Milan Lucic in 2007 before him. It was a solid 16 years now, but I couldn’t help but wonder what Lucic remembered about that run and what his mindset was as Claude Julien and the Bruins kept exploring what they had with him.

  “They just kept playing me, so I was like, ‘Okay, I guess that must be a good thing. So just keep going out there and showing them what I can do,'” Lucic recalled of his 2007 run. “I think the two of us have completely different skill sets. So for me, I just continued to be physical and showed that I could hang with the big boys and all that type of stuff. [Poitras] had a another good game, strong game. And to see him get that goal, to tie it at 4-4 was a good thing for him. He just keeps building confidence as the camp goes along.”

  At this point, I don’t see how the Bruins could possibly justify sending Poitras back to the OHL without getting an in-season look at what the feisty center can bring to their squad when the action gets real.

• Johnny Beecher

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center John Beecher (19) waits for play to begin against the New York Rangers during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

• If the competition for the fourth-line center role is indeed real and not just imaginary, then there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Johnny Beecher is your winner. Beyond the fact that he’s a left-shooting center who’s done a solid job of winning his faceoffs (Beecher is now at a 56.2 percent success rate after Tuesday’s 7-for-13 performance), Beecher just seems like a perfect fit for that fourth line needs to be if it’s going to be at its highest possible level in 2023-24.

  Pairing Beecher with Jakub Lauko gives the Bruins a seriously up-tempo fourth-line combo, and that’s going to be absolutely necessary with the slower, space-clearing style of Milan Lucic. Beecher and Lauko also have experience playing together in Providence, and their results in a relatively limited sample this preseason have been promising. And Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery liked what he saw from the trio on Tuesday night.

  “I thought that was a real effective line,” Montgomery said. “I gave ’em some O-zone starts, but mostly D-zone starts. And, you know, I don’t know the stats. I didn’t look, but I thought Beecher did well on the dot and won some big draws for us. So the speed and the combination of speed and will was pretty evident. They did a lot of good things out there.”

  One thing that I liked about Beecher’s game on Tuesday: When you watch him closely, it’s obvious how well he moves and how much ground he can cover as a 6-foot-3 center. And with the Bruins on the penalty kill, Beecher was able to close quickly on a Capital along the half wall and force a bad pass that trickled just over the blue line, which forced the Capitals to reset and allowed the Bruins to get a line change. Things like that matter over the course of a game and 82-game year.

• Patrick Brown

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown (38) skates the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports

• Fourth-line center Patrick Brown has been as advertised, really.

  In action for two games this preseason, the 31-year-old Brown has been a responsible player in the defensive zone, and chipped in with three blocked shots and has won eight of his 15 battles at the dot.

  But based on what the Bruins are likely to roll with on the wings of their fourth line, with Milan Lucic and Jakub Lauko slated to skate in those roles, it’s fair to wonder if Brown has the foot speed to keep up with what that line needs to be truly successful in 2023-24. It’s also possible that Brown is now hurt by the fact that he’s a right shot, as the Bruins have more than enough right-shooting sticks capable of taking a defensive-zone draw, from Charlie Coyle to Morgan Geekie and even Matt Poitras based on his recent growth in that department.

  Brown also battled a bit of an injury in training camp, which certainly didn’t seem to help when it came to his ability to make it a true race for the fourth-line center role.

• Danton Heinen

  

  OTTAWA, ON – NOVEMBER 27: Danton Heinen #43 of the Boston Bruins looks on in a game against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on November 27, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Jana Chytilova/Getty Images)

• If you’ve had a massive problem with Danton Heinen’s play this camp, I fear that you are watching him with your 2019 blinders on and are not giving the versatile winger a fair shake of things. Because if we’re calling a spade a spade here, Heinen has played well enough to put himself in the conversation for a bottom-six role with this club.

  On the ice for three games this preseason, Heinen was one of just three Bruins to score a five-on-five goal prior to last night’s five-on-five scoring explosion for the Bruins. Heinen is also tied for the most individual high-danger scoring chances generated at five-on-five play, and is fifth in individual scoring chances in general. And Heinen’s been able to do this while beginning less than 40 percent of his shifts in the attacking zone. He’s most definitely done his part.

  My belief that Heinen is worthy of a contract has as much to do with the shortcomings elsewhere on the roster (the Bruins gave all their young wingers about three months notice that jobs were there for them and they’ve been worked by a guy without a contract) as much as Heinen’s own versatility. If and when injuries strike, you can move Heinen up and down your lineup, and at both left and right wing. And he won’t hurt you. He’s too responsible a player.

  And the fact that Heinen is also playing without a contract means that he’s going to be cheap if and when he’s signed. He’ll probably sign for league minimum, to be honest. If the Bruins sign Heinen for league minimum, there is absolutely zero doubt in my mind that he would perform above a league-minimum signing and that the Bruins would get their money’s worth. Last year, Heinen checked in at just over $45,000 per point. That was the 118th-most affordable rate among forwards on standard contracts, and with Heinen making $1 million and going through two massive goal droughts.

  The Bruins entered this offseason in search of value contracts, and Heinen would almost certainly be one of them based on what we’ve seen and what the Bruins are looking for when it comes to their 2023-24 roster.

• A.J. Greer

  

  Oct 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (33) makes a save as Boston Bruins left wing A.J. Greer (10) is defended by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Saheim (6) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

• It was this time last year that A.J. Greer became a truly great story and clawed, scratched, and fought his way into an NHL roster spot with the Bruins. Greer has shown the willingness to do all of that once again, but it’s a more than legitimate question to wonder if that’ll be enough this time around.

  In what can only be described as a cruel twist of fate, the 6-foot-3 Greer is by all means roadblocked to a regular role on this team by his favorite player growing up (Milan Lucic), and his status as a wing opposed to a center may hurt his chances of being enough to crack this roster. It also doesn’t help that Greer is a guy who’s unlikely to move all that far up your lineup in the event of injuries (he played more than 12 minutes just seven times a year ago).

  Now, even with that in mind, I think you have to like his camp. Greer has remained a forechecking menace, he’s drawn penalties, and he’s actually been able to generate some quality scoring chances. The Bruins have even been able to incorporate Greer into the penalty kill and he’s actually looked pretty solid there. But is that what the Bruins what with their 13th forward or do they prioritize a more jack-of-all-trades type like a Heinen or Jesper Boqvist?

  One thing that could be working in Greer’s favor depending on how tight the Bruins want to go against the cap: Greer is one of 82 NHL players under contract for 2023-24 at a cap hit lower than the league’s minimum salary. Do the Bruins extract the most value out of that extra $12,500 in cap space? (Note: There is still a possible roster construct that sees the Bruins begin the year with just over $5,000 in cap space, so it could be of value.)

• Trevor Kuntar

  

  Sep 26, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Trevor Kuntar (52) deflects a shot on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

• I gotta admit, I did not have Trevor Kuntar hanging this deep into his first NHL training camp. But the true first-year pro has made quite an impression. Listed at six feet and almost 200 pounds, Kuntar has a bit of that Noel Acciari build to him, and looks like the makings of a potential net-front menace. And the 22-year-old has certainly done his part to make his ice time count, with a team-high eight shots and six individual scoring chances in just 22:09 of five-on-five play.

  Kuntar is unlikely to crack this roster out of the gate, of course, but we may be talking about an accelerated timeline of sorts when it comes to his NHL arrival based on what we’ve seen so far. A third-round pick of the Bruins back in 2020, Kuntar turned pro this past summer after putting up 13 goals and 29 points in 34 games for Boston College last season.

• Mason Lohrei

  

  Oct 3, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei (6) gets set for a face-off during overtime against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

• Another true first-year pro, Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei is making one hell of a late push to make this squad.

  Deployed for 24:40 in Tuesday’s preseason affair, Lohrei scored a goal with a tremendous offensive-zone activation, and added three hits and a blocked shot. The Bruins also let Lohrei run their second power-play unit (4:01 of ice-time on the man advantage), and gave Lohrei a solid shorthanded workload with 1:46 seconds of penalty-kill action.

  “I thought Lohrei was really on his toes,” Montgomery said following Tuesday’s loss. “This is the best I’ve seen him jump into the offense, reallying supporting plays. I really love his goal because that’s the way we want to play. Like once we get the puck, we want to transition [with] five guys going. It was nice to see a defenseman pass to a defenseman for a goal.”

  For Lohrei, it’s a preseason run that’s now included the goal, two shots, two blocked shots, and five hits. And Lohrei getting hit with ‘Shiny New Toy’ syndrome from the masses.

  Now, for as solid as Lohrei has looked in the attacking zone, this is a player who is still learning what he can and cannot do at this level. (People gotta remember that Lohrei is not and hasn’t been a lifelong defenseman and is still very much learning the nuances and subtleties of the position to a certain degree.) You saw it a bit in overtime when Lohrei’s misplays led to the Bruins being pinned in their zone for a full minute. You’ve also seen it in the corners, along the walls, and behind the net. There’s been moments where you see Lohrei dazzle with a brilliant zone clear, and others where he’s hearing the footsteps or getting out-muscled by the men that play in this league.

  It seems like the best course of action is still having Lohrei begin the year in Providence, where he’ll be able to log 30-minute nights without the pressure of playing top-pairing minutes for a team that still wants to win games. In Providence, there’s hands-on learning without the NHL pressure, and there’s nobody standing in his way to get all the minutes he needs. In Boston, he’s not going to quarterback a power play over Charlie McAvoy and/or Hampus Lindholm. And there’s little to no sense in feeding him Derek Forbort’s penalty-killing minutes or third-pairing minutes.

  The Bruins need to load Lohrei up on minutes, have him take some lumps, and go from there. This reminds me a bit of the David Pastrnak situation in 2014. The Bruins had a long-term need at the position, but they decided that Providence was the way to go. After 25 games with the P-Bruins, Pastrnak was up with the big club and by all means never looked back.

  There’s nothing that says the B’s can’t do the same when it comes to Lohrei.

• Ian Mitchell

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Ian Mitchell (14) skates against New York Rangers during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

• The Bruins made it clear that they wanted to see some desperation in this training camp. And Ian Mitchell, one of the two defensemen picked up from Chicago in the Taylor Hall trade, has brought that to every single shift. A right shot defenseman (which has always been an organizational weakness), Mitchell has racked up three shots (on 13 shot attempts), and leads all Bruins defenders in individual scoring chances (six). Montgomery’s system call for active defensemen, and Mitchell certainly knows that having played for Montgomery at Denver back in his NCAA days.

  I think if you’re talking about earning a spot as the first man up on defense, Mitchell fits the bill.

  It also helps that he’s making a league-minimum $775,000 for 2023-24.

• Jakub Zboril

  

  Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril (67) passes the puck during the second period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

• If I’m Jakub Zboril, I might be looking over my shoulder right now.

  Listen, the 2015 first-round pick has worked his ass off for the Bruins. He’s done absolutely everything he could have to work his way out of that ‘bust’ tag that’s followed him for his entire career (and I’ve always hated it because at that point in time he was drafted appropriately, so basically everyone was wrong), and that torn ACL back in 2021-22 was the worst thing imaginable for a player who was seemingly finding his footing as a pro.

  But for a seventh defenseman, and specifically for the 2023-24 Bruins, a $1.137 million cap hit might just be too hard to swallow. Especially with Mitchell pushing and some of the B’s entry-level players looking like locks. The Bruins are in an every-dollar-counts situation, and the $362,500 saved by going with a league-minimum guy like Mitchell over Zboril might just allow the Bruins to maximize their roster complexion.

  Beyond the dollars, an injury limited Zboril’s preseason sample size, and it’s hard to say that he’s won a job decidedly.

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Author Matt Dolloff

Category:

• Bruins
• Matt Dolloff
• Ty Anderson

Tags:

boston bruins,NHL,sports hub underground