Boston Bruins: Two Players Left For Backup Goaltender Job
The Boston Bruins made their next round of cuts today. Many of them were expected. The biggest buzz over the current round of cuts were with the goaltenders.
Malcolm Subban and rookie Zane McIntyre were sent to Providence today. Subban went 18-for-21 against the Red Wings on Saturday in the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime win. McIntyre had allowed one goal in the Bruins 2-1 overtime win against the Washington Capitals. (No surprises there. They were listed at the bottom of my depth chart(as well as many of the big guys’ in Boston media.))
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This makes it a two man race between Jonas Gustavsson (who came back to the team after leaving due to his wife giving birth), and Jeremy Smith for the number two netminder job. Gustavsson, who was signed to a professional tryout contract, may have a slight lead over Smith due to his NHL experience.
Boston Bruins bench boss Claude Julien offered thoughts on the cuts this afternoon.
“I thought they competed hard, and it was nice to see those guys. It was [Noel] Acciari’s first game he showed some grit and even penalty killed. And [Anton] Blidh just to name a few guys there. Even [Jake] DeBrusk, which I think is you know really smart- he protects the puck well in the offensive zone. We saw a lot of good things from those players. [Anthony] Camara, those guys they didn’t back down from anybody,”said Julien earlier this afternoon. €”There was a hit in middle ice that, you know, was, in my mind was a clean hit. But because it was a bit on the blind side, right away Anthony Camara reacts. You like those kinds of things from the young players.”
Noel Acciari, Chris Breen, Anthony Camara, Brandon DeFazio, Justin Hickman and Ben Sexton were also sent down to the Providence Bruins training camp. There are no shockers on that list.
Claude Julien also talked about the Bruins defensemen, and who he likes and who he has seen seriously battle for a spot on the 2015-16 squad.
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“Being engaged in the game the way they should be engaged. [There was] a lot of good to talk about last night. Tommy Cross is another one who has been so good in Providence, you know? He’s always been, I guess, questioned about his skating a little bit. We all know he’€™s had some knee issues at a younger age, but to me he handled himself real well. There were no issues with his skating, and the pace of the game last night. It’s good for him. He’s a real good; he’s a gamer, he’s a leader in Providence. He’s gained a lot of respect in a lot of points in our mind [to the point] where he’s still here, and he’™s still battling for a spot.”
So, who does this leave battling for a position on the rapidly shrinking NHL roster?
This leaves Anton Blidh, Austin Czarnik, Brian Ferlin, Joonas Kemppainen, Alex Khokhlachev, Tyler Randell and Frank Vatrano fighting for a potential forward position. Vatrano and Randell have been impressive in camp, as has Kemppainen and Khokhlachev. Any one of the last four could end up scratching out a bottom six job in Boston.
The Bruins still have six healthy defensemen on the roster. Zdeno Chara is expected back before opening night, and that will bring the total up to seven. If the Bruins talk about starting the season with eight defensemen is true, than there are five young defensemen still in the mix for an open slot. They are Linus Arnesson, Chris Casto, Tommy Cross, Colin Miller and Ben Youds. At the moment, Colin Miller has a slight lead over the rest of the pack.
Opening night is eleven days away. The Bruins will be giving all these young faces just a few more games to prove they have what it takes to be a member of the Bruins.