Boston Bruins: Training camp can’t come soon enough for newest faces
By Luke Ryan
The Boston Bruins players most excited for a training camp may well be some of the newest additions.
Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie arrived from the Anaheim Ducks around trade deadline and only had 6 and 7 regular season games to get settled with the Boston Bruins.
The moves that saw David Backes and Danton Heinen headed the opposite way were widely lauded as sensible decisions, but the suspension of the regular season means we have even yet scratched the surface of what they can offer in the Boston Bruins line-up.
Ondrej Kase has widely been seen as an option to finally fix the second line right wing issue, alongside countryman David Krejci. Nick Ritchie should offer further grit on a revamped third line trio alongside Charlie Coyle and likely Anders Bjork.
More from Editorials
- Pavel Zacha’s veteran status leading to bigger role in 2023-24
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- Why the Bruins should wait to name a captain until after the season
- 3 players the Bruins can, 3 players could trade, 3 players they shouldn’t trade
- It’s time to offer Jake DeBrusk a contract extension
Heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a training camp and the chance to properly get to know their teammates, the Bruins’ systems and generally become full-blown members of the group should be a huge benefit.
Obviously, they won’t be the only players in the league relishing the chance to properly settle in and learn the ways of a new team, but they have the advantage of this Boston side being the best in the league.
You’d hope they’ve been able to use the downtime to properly relocate to their new home city, but in all reality, we expect Ondrej Kase may well have headed home to the Czech Republic. Nick Ritchie has the advantage of his older brother, Brett already being with the Bruins, so maybe he was able to use those family ties to help get set up.
With the return of Boston Bruins players to the ice this coming week, we shall soon find out if the newest additions to the roster managed to keep fit. If they have, they’re going to have a headstart in that it’s only systems they have to focus on.
If these new lines can get up-to-speed relatively quickly, there’s no reason to doubt the Bruins being a hot contender in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Next. Freelance designer creates stylish concept jerseys. dark
Last year’s group made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final; these two new faces may well tip this Boston Bruins team over the line.