With training camp compressed and the preseason trimmed down to just two weeks and four games, every shift has become a bigger audition than usual around the NHL. That’s especially true in Boston, where the Bruins are sorting through real competition at both defense and forward with the regular season arriving fast under the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHLPA and the league’s owners.
Marco Sturm could feel the squeeze after Tuesday night’s 5-1 preseason win over the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. Asked about how quickly camp is moving toward the finish line, he smiled and laid out the reality for everyone involved.
“The first three or four days felt normal, but I even reminded my guys after the second period that ‘[you guys] have one more period and then one more game and that’s it!’ So they needed to just get going and play the right way because of that short camp,” said Sturm.
“Yeah, it’s interesting. It’s a challenge for sure, not just for the coaches but for the players too.
The players like it, but deep down they don’t mind practicing and playing a few more games before the season starts because they need it too.
“I don’t know. I can’t change anything, but it’s definitely challenging for all of us.”
In that kind of setup, 23-year-old Frederic Brunet has done exactly what a young player needs to do: grab attention immediately and keep it. He’s appeared in both preseason games so far and has stood out in each one, including Tuesday’s performance against Philly, when he picked up a pair of assists by sending two point shots toward the net that created chances around the crease.
Brunet looked comfortable from the jump in this one, and he did it in a different kind of test than he had in Sunday’s preseason opener. After skating beside Charlie McAvoy in that game, he was paired with another young blueliner, Max Guenette, against the Flyers.
There was no seasoned partner to lean on this time. Brunet was the one setting the tone, and he handled that responsibility well.
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