The Bruins are giving Frederic Brunet a night to breathe.
After a tough showing in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Marco Sturm is scratching the young defenseman Thursday night when Boston finishes a short two-game road trip against former coach Jim Montgomery and the St. Louis Blues.
Brunet was one of the surprises of training camp, earning a roster spot and then sticking in the lineup while Charlie McAvoy served his six-game suspension to open the season. Once McAvoy returned, Brunet had done enough to make himself hard to remove, and Sturm had settled into a solid third pairing with Mason Lohrei.
But young players hit a wall sometimes, and Brunet appears to have reached that point.
Against Carolina, Boston opened the scoring early on a Pavel Zacha power-play goal and nearly took that lead into the first intermission. Instead, Brunet’s turnover changed the feel of the night. With the puck below the goal line behind the Bruins net, he was stripped by Jackson Blake, who darted to the front and beat Jeremy Swayman to tie the game.
That wasn’t the only rough moment for Brunet, and it wasn’t the only issue Boston faced. Carolina’s forecheck was all over the Bruins, pinning them in their own end and making life miserable shift after shift. The Hurricanes’ speed also caused problems, including on Sebastian Aho’s third-period game-winner in the 2-1 Carolina win.
Sometimes a coach tries to shield a young player from the sting of a scratch, but this feels like the right call. Brunet needs the reset, and Thursday gives him that chance from the press box.
The expectation is that he’ll be back in the lineup Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Blackhawks.
In Other News...
Bruins Face A Tough Call On A Veteran Forward Drawing Buzz
The early chatter around the Senators search for forward help has put a few familiar names into circulation, and one of them is drawing attention inside the Bruins orbit. League talk has centered on a small pool of possible trade candidates, with Teuvo Tervinen, Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp among the players mentioned as options as clubs try to sort through a thin market.
For Boston, the interesting part is Mikey Eyssimonts place in the mix. He is in the final year of his contract and has been thriving with Providence, which makes him a useful depth option if the Bruins need help because of injuries and a player whose status can change quickly if the trade market keeps tightening. If the Senators or another team eventually come calling for forward pieces, Boston may have to weigh whether to keep a veteran who is playing well in the AHL or turn him into part of a larger roster decision. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Forward Suddenly Enters A Rival's Search For Scoring Help
Ottawa is already working the phones for scoring help, and a Bruins fan watching the Atlantic may want to keep an eye on a familiar name. Senators general manager Steve Staios is exploring trade options for a winger after injuries thinned out his forward group, with Warren Foegele hurt and William Eklund sidelined following ankle surgery. The list of possible targets has a few different shapes to it, from established skill to more versatile depth, which suggests Ottawa is casting a fairly wide net as it tries to stay afloat offensively.
For Boston, the intrigue is less about the Senators immediate needs than the timing of any move. Staios would rather hold off on a major acquisition until the trade deadline gets closer, and that leaves this search in an early, fluid stage for now. Still, when a division rival starts looking for help on the wing, the market can shift quickly, and a Bruins-connected name could wind up in the middle of it before long. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Tough Pavel Zacha Decision For Blue Line Help
The Bruins are again in the kind of trade conversation that says as much about their roster needs as it does about the market around them. Boston wants help on the blue line, and Pavel Zacha has surfaced as the sort of piece that could be moved if the right defender becomes available. On the other side, Detroits situation has added another layer, with the Red Wings looking at ways to address their center depth while weighing whether to deal from a different part of the roster.
Simon Edvinsson is the name now attached to the discussion, which makes the idea much bigger than a simple hockey swap. A deal of that sort would almost certainly require Boston to give up meaningful assets, and the Bruins would have to decide how far they want to go to land a young defenseman with upside. For now, it remains a hypothetical fit rather than an actual trade, but it is the kind of possibility that can linger when a team is trying to balance immediate help with long-term value. [Read more 🡒]