Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins have started trimming down their training camp roster by cutting two of their 2015 draft picks. Goaltender, and third round pick Daniel Vladar was cut, which was expected as he will be a long-term project with the Bruins. Boston is stacked with goaltending depth going into the 2015-16 season, with goaltenders Jeremy Smith, Jonas Gustavsson, Malcolm Subban, and Zane McIntyre all vying for the opportunity to backup Tuukka Rask. The second player cut from camp was Jesse Gabrielle. Selected in the 4th round, Gabrielle projects to be a fourth liner in the NHL one day.
Puck Prose
Neither Vladar nor Gabrielle made an appearance in the preseason, but their NHL careers are still young. Both players will have a chance to return to their junior clubs, Vladar in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, and Gabrielle in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars, to continue working towards their goal of playing in the NHL.
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The Boston Bruins are still evaluating a few of their other 2015 draft picks, as notable picks Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary Senyshyn are still in camp along with second round picks Brandon Carlo, and Jeremy Lauzon. The Bruins have been playing their rookies in a combination with both veterans, and other prospects that could potentially benefit their own style of play. Brandon Carlo was paired with Torey Krug earlier in camp which could be a solid pairing moving forward for the Bruins in a few years, assuming Krug is still in Boston and Carlo pans out according to plan.
General Manager Don Sweeney has mentioed that the injury to Dennis Seidenberg can very likely play a big role in some of the future training camp cuts made by the Bruins, and that evaluations are on-going, and a daily process. “It may, based on each and every night, you know?” said Sweeney. “We’re going to do some shuffling around here in the next couple of days based on what we’ve seen so far, and we’ll continue to do that. I look forward to seeing somebody probably take a hold of those minutes, and see where it goes.”
None of the Bruins 2015 draft picks project to make the roster this season, although playing time is still invaluable in the development process. It’s unfortunate that Gabrielle and Vladar didn’t get a chance to showcase their on-ice ability in the preseason, however, they will get a chance to fine-tune their ability with their own clubs before proving they deserve a chance to play in the NHL. For right now, it appears the Bruins are evaluating line combinations and chemistry while still giving a few of their higher-potential draft picks an opportunity to get their feet wet in the NHL.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @FansidedBrandon to discuss all things Bruins and sports