The Bruins have spent the first six games proving they could hold things together without Charlie McAvoy. Now comes the harder part: figuring out what the blue line looks like when he’s back in the mix.
Boston opened the season 4-2-0 despite losing its No. 1 defenseman before the campaign really got rolling, and the early returns were encouraging enough to keep the group afloat. Mason Lohrei helped steady that stretch with back-to-back goals and four points in those six games, while averaging 19:47 of ice time. Frederic Brunet also chipped in, giving the Bruins a needed boost on the back end.
“I feel like I’m at my best when I’m playing with confidence and it’s something that I’m trying to do…and I’m feeling pretty good,” said Lohrei. “I can’t wait to have [McAvoy] back. What an addition it’s going to be six games into the season.
“He’s coming in fresh and I know he’s ready to go, so really looking forward to watching some special stuff from him. I think we’ve been pretty solid.
Everybody has been on the same page and it’s only going to be positive to add him. Everybody has stepped up and carried their weight so far here.”
The numbers show the Bruins weren’t just surviving. Will Borgen posted a team-best plus-6 through those six games, while Hampus Lindholm found some stability of his own with a goal, four points and a plus-4 in 19:58 per night. The Nikita Zadorov-Connor Clifton pair didn’t provide much offense, but it did the job asked of it: defend hard, play physically, and keep opponents in check.
That’s why McAvoy’s return creates such an interesting puzzle. The Bruins now have to sort out the pairings and decide who fits where once their top defenseman is inserted back into the lineup. One possibility is McAvoy skating with Brunet to see how that combination works, though it’s not clear yet whether that would push Lohrei out of the mix.
Jonathan Aspirot has already been in the press box for the last three games since Brunet got his first look of the season, and that only adds to the logjam. Playing time is about to get tight.
“It was a tough schedule, tough teams and without Charlie McAvoy. So it was not easy to come out like this 4-2 and we are very happy.
But it does not mean that we can relax now that we have Charlie McAvoy back,” said Marco Sturm. “I think Brunet was the surprise, I would say.
He had a good camp, but we didn’t know how effective he would be. But he took charge and I’m really happy about that.
It means a lot being on the first power play unit. Not everybody can do that.
“The other guys, you learn something because they added minutes and added different situations. Even if most of the guys were around last season, you learn something about them.
It’s good for them to be taken out of their comfort zone a little. Overall, they did a good job [without McAvoy] and now we need to figure out how we move forward.”
And there’s another wrinkle hovering over all of this: Boston’s reported interest in restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson. The Bruins are among the teams said to be monitoring the Red Wings defenseman closely if Detroit gives up on trying to sign him while his holdout continues.
Edvinsson, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman, put up nine goals and 25 points in 72 games last season. He’s believed to be seeking a major payday after only two NHL seasons.
Boston is one of at least 10 teams that have checked in on Edvinsson, according to Pierre LeBrun. But Detroit interim GM Shawn Horcoff still wants to get a deal done, and he has the backing of ownership to keep pushing for an extension. LeBrun reported that the Red Wings have already put long-, mid- and short-term offers on the table, but there remains a sizeable gap on salary.
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Now comes the part that will tell a lot more about what this start really means: a four-game road trip beginning in San Jose. Early-season home wins can cover over a few things, but the Bruins are heading west with some momentum and a deeper scoring mix than expected, which makes the trip a useful early test of whether this group can carry those contributions away from Boston. [Read more 🡒]