While the Maple Leafs are going through a health crisis as it relates to the status of superstar scorer Auston Matthews, the Bruins appear set to potentially welcome two players back to their active roster.
In fact, it may be a matter of timing more than anything else at this point, as Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery made his boldest claim yet with winger Justin Brazeau and defenseman Derek Forbort ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 at TD Garden.
Derek Forbort and Justin Brazeau are officially available,
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) April 29, 2024
TORONTO, CANADA – MARCH 4: Justin Brazeau #55 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 4, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
In the case of Brazeau, it’s been almost a full month since the big-bodied wing was last seen in game action thanks to an upper-body injury sustained on a hit from the Preds’ Luke Schenn in an Apr. 2 game down in Nashville.
That absence has led to 10 straight missed games for the 26-year-old if you include the final six games of the regular season and the first four games of Boston’s first-round series with the Maple Leafs.
And it would also appear that Brazeau is slightly ahead of schedule, as the Bruins had initially pegged him as a possibility for the second round before upgrading him to day-to-day, ‘almost there’ status on Monday.
“Obviously, it’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve only played regular-season games but [the physicality] is something I’m excited about and something in my game,” Brazeau said of a potential (or perhaps inevitable) jump into postseason play. “I enjoy getting into the hard areas so I’m excited for that. It’s something I’ve always done in my game. Something I don’t really have to change or anything, so it’s just kind of going out there and doing what I do.”
A late-season surprise (and a half), Brazeau tallied five goals and seven points through 19 NHL appearances with the Bruins. In addition to his offensive production, Brazeau had also racked up 43 hits and 12 blocked shots, and had received frequent in-game promotions up the Boston depth chart prior to his injury.
Nov 22, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) and goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) celebrate after winning the game against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports)
Forbort, meanwhile, is still looking to work his way back into what would be his first NHL game since Mar. 2 on Long Island.
Forbort has remained active of late, too, getting into action for late-season ‘conditioning’ games down in Providence, and was recently upgraded to ‘day-to-day’ status ahead of the team’s flight to Toronto last week.
But after undergoing two separate surgeries back in March, the Bruins have been understandably reluctant to simply throw Forbort out there, especially in high-stakes playoff contests. They seemingly teased at it during the pregame warmups in Game 4, with Forbort among the other defensemen taking warmups, but it did not play out to an 11-forward, 7-defenseman look from the Bruins in that game, nor did it ever truly seem close to happening.
And still, the Bruins have their reservations when it comes to putting Forbort out there right now.
“As long as that word is, there’s as much trepidation as there is, yes,” Montgomery said of putting Forbort in for Game 5.
Dec 2, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) pursues the play against the Toronto Maple Leaf in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. (Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports)
In addition to the overall uncertainty that’s come with Forbort’s game in 2023-24, there’s also the possibility that the Bruins don’t want to change up too much from what they’re doing right now. Games 3 and 4 in Toronto featured some undeniably strong defensive play from the club (Game 4 was absolutely their best effort on that front), and the Black and Gold’s defense has delivered in terms of game-to-game improvement.
“I think our sticks have been significantly better, especially in the D-zone,” Montgomery, whose team has a chance to knock out the Maple Leafs in Game 5, said of his team’s recent defensive improvements. “I think our time and space has been better up ice, and I think our neutral zone forecheck has gotten better.”
Should Forbort draw in, it would appear that veteran Kevin Shattenkirk would be the odd man out, as he skated with Matt Grzelcyk (scratched for the last two games) for Monday’s practice.
Mar 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (52) prepares for a face-off against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Capital One Arena. (Hannah Foslien/USA TODAY Sports)
When it comes to the Bruins’ other injured bodies, both center Matt Poitras and defenseman Andrew Peeke were on the ice ahead of Monday’s practice at Warrior, and got some work in.
Poitras underwent shoulder surgery back in February, and should not be considered an option for the playoffs given the expected recovery timeline of five months. But the Bruins did make it a point to have Poitras stay in Boston throughout his recovery to not only be under the care of their doctors, but to also be around the team for the remainder of the season. The Bruins viewed both things as equally important to the continued development of the 20-year-old center.
Peeke, on the other hand, is still an option for the Bruins should they advance out of the first round of play. At least that’s what we’re all led to believe, as the latest word on the right-shooting defenseman is that he’s simply ‘week-to-week’ after taking a Tyler Bertuzzi shot off the hand in Boston’s Game 2 loss.
