UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Kasimir Kaskisuo #50 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on November 13, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Boston Bruins have added to the goaltender room, in the absence of Jeremy Swayman at training camp.
As announced by the team on Thursday, the Bruins have signed goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Kaskisuo is a native of Vantaa, Finland, who played 13 games with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), an affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, during the 2023-24 season. He posted a record of 7-4-0 with a 2.90 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Kaskisuo originally signed a two-way deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, and bounced around the minors before debuting in the NHL for a game in the 2019-20 season. He later signed with the Nashville Predators and checked in during one game in the 2020-21 season, making three saves.
The Bruins had Kaskisuo in town and suited up for the first day of open training camp practice at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton on Thursday. Kaskisuo worked in goal with Group B, along with Brandon Bussi and Ryan Bischel. At one point in a 2-on-2 drill, Kaskisuo stoned Bruins forward prospect Trevor Kuntar on multiple opportunities at the doorstep.
Ultimately, Kaskisuo will likely be a body for camp and nothing more, as Swayman and his camp continue to work with the Bruins toward a new contract. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney indicated that the Bruins will sign Swayman prior to the Dec. 1 deadline, but the possibility remains that negotiations could in fact stretch well into the regular season.
The Bruins will hold their second open training camp practice of the season on Friday. Read more about the first day of camp below.
Bruins Training Camp Notebook: The first look at key new faces
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins’ big off-season additions should make a big impact – both literally and figuratively.
The B’s held their first day of open training camp practices on Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena, splitting the roster into groups A and B, and the first half featured the team’s most critical new players at each level of the ice: center Elias Lindholm, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
The latter is going to be under the proverbial microscope, as long as Jeremy Swayman is absent from camp, as he and the Bruins work toward a new contract. But Lindholm and Zadorov are set for major roles at their respective positions, regardless of who else makes the team. The extremely, severely, incredibly early returns on both of them are promising.
Here’s a rundown of the things that stood out the most on the first day of 2024-25 Bruins training camp…
Group A Lineup
Forward Lines
Pavel Zacha – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak Cole Koepke – Trent Frederic – Matthew Poitras Riley Tufte – Georgii Merkulov – Lettieri Jeffrey Viel/Joey Abate – Jaxon Nelson – Patrick Brown
Defensive Pairs
Nikita Zadorov – Charlie McAvoy Parker Wotherspoon – Ian Mitchell Loke Johansson – Billy Sweezey Frederic Brunet – Drew Bavaro
Tyler Johnson – Charlie Coyle – Fabian Lysell Max Jones – Morgan Geekie – Justin Brazeau Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic – Riley Duran Brett Harrison – Trevor Kuntar/John Farinacci – Marc McLaughlin
Defensive Pairs
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke Mike Callahan – Jordan Oesterle Mason Millman – Ryan Mast
The big takeaways from Thursday’s practice, being the first day of camp for the media, are about the lineup and the different configurations of forwards and defensemen. Here are the most notable developments…
A New Top Line
The Bruins are indeed going to roll with a forward line of Pavel Zacha at left wing, Elias Lindholm at center, and David Pastrnak at right wing, at least to start camp. And the group is already showing good chemistry. This especially stood out when they were in the offensive zone in 5-on-5 drills, making crisp, fast, dynamic passes to set each other up for scoring opportunities.
As for Elias Lindholm specifically, his defensive zone positioning will be a big asset for a Bruins team that really missed having a strong two-way center presence atop the lineup. Moving Zacha to left wing will take that burden off him. Lindholm should be a tremendous help clogging up opposing passing lanes and getting breakouts going the other way, which should help spark Zacha and Pastrnak offensively.
Lindholm did score during the 5-on-5 periods, ripping home a centering pass from Zacha past Maier, who couldn’t quite range over in time with his glove. This line should most certainly be productive offensively, and the addition of Lindholm should be a massive value-add at the defensive end.
Zadorov Paired With McAvoy
To start camp, the Bruins are pairing free-agent signing Nikita Zadorov with Charlie McAvoy. The general hope is that Zadorov’s defensive zone presence can help activate McAvoy offensively, and the pair can complement each other that way. But what stood out the most about the pair is that in the Bruins’ end, they should be an absolute pain in the ass to play against.
We already know about McAvoy’s ability to play a heavy game, and Zadorov’s sheer size and penchant for highlight-reel hitting (none of that today, which is understandable) are standout traits. But Zadorov also looked impressive with his length and reach. As long as he has sound positioning around the net, it’s going to be hard to get pucks or bodies around him.
Zadorov also made a nice play to bump his man off the puck in the corner (name escaped me, I APOLOGIZE, but it wasn’t an NHL player), and chip it up the boards for a breakout opportunity. Zadorov is underrated in his ability to move the puck up and out of the D-zone in multiple ways. It should be a boost for a Bruins blue line that struggled to clear the puck in the playoffs.
Big Opportunity For Lysell
Bruins forward Fabian Lysellshould be the favorite to take the coveted right wing spot next to Charlie Coyle, and after one day of camp, he’s indeed slotted in there.
Lysell’s speed stands out at all times, the way he skates so fluidly and effortlessly while doing it faster than everyone else on the ice. He didn’t get a ton of chances to show off his skill, as most of the 5-on-5 drills emphasized puck movement and board play, but he did get a shot off during one drill. He’s certainly a dangerous player with the puck on his stick.
The areas where Lysell can, and always has needed, to improve involve playing without the puck. He doesn’t look quite as fast or engaged when he doesn’t possess the vulcanized rubber. That, and he tends to get knocked off the puck a little too easily when defensemen really bear down on him. But if he can move like he did in practice today and ends up producing, he should stay in the lead to make the NHL club as a needed scoring threat.
More notes and observations from day 1 of Boston Bruins training camp…
Merkulov Sticks At Center
Where Lysell looks to be a top candidate to play a prominent right wing role, if Georgii Merkulov is going to stick in Boston, it’ll have to be at center. Head coach Jim Montgomery said center is “where he’s comfortable” and that Merkulov himself has said “I’m a center.”
Merkulov centered a line with Riley Tufte and Vinny Lettieri in the Group A practice. With Elias Lindholm and Charlie Coyle topping the depth chart, Merkulov is going to have to prove himself as a possible third-line center option. Montgomery is granting him that opportunity.
The Korpisalo Fix
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – APRIL 02: Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Xcel Energy Center on April 02, 2024 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Senators 3-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
If the unthinkable happens – that Jeremy Swayman goes into the regular season without a contract and can’t play – all eyes will be on Joonas Korpisalo as the next man up to start the majority of games.
Korpisalo struggled mightily last season for a not-that-good Ottawa Senators team, but now lands in arguably the best possible situation for a goaltender in the league, with a good team in front of him and a coaching wizard in “Goalie Bob” Essensa. He’s looking to recapture the magic he found in a brief stint with the L.A. Kings just two seasons ago, when he posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
The veteran goalie’s size and length stand out (6-foot-3), but from my view, he’s not utilizing his frame enough from a technique standpoint. Just standing in the way of pucks won’t cut it here. But if anyone can fix whatever ailed him in Ottawa and get him moving his pads more and getting the right angles, it’s “Goalie Bob.”
A Possible Fourth Line…
The bottom-6 forwards are unsettled after one day of camp, and there are a number of combinations that Montgomery could try among his available pieces, especially for the fourth line. But the Group B line of Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, and Riley Duran stood out with their collective speed and energy during Thursday’s drills.
Duran is a wild card of sorts, but he played with good pace and kept up with his more established NHL linemates. Beecher and Kastelic look like a strong forward pair to lead the fourth line, with the right side TBD.
Team Stretches
Team stretch leaders: Charlie McAvoy took the center of the faceoff circle for Group A, while Hampus Lindholm led the stretch for Group B. The blue-line Lindholm will be an interesting player to watch, as well as who he actually plays with. For now, he’s with Brandon Carlo in a familiar defensive-minded pair.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.
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