Teams around the NHL will have to make some adjustments this season, as the 84-game regular season paves the way for a preseason that features just four games. While veterans will be happy for the shortened training camp, it doesn't offer the younger players a ton of opportunity to make the NHL rosters.
No team could feel that more than the Boston Bruins, who have a ton of youth knocking on the door who may not get an opportunity to make the opening night roster without enough time to make an impression.
Matthew Poitras
The first hurdle Matthew Poitras will have to clear is getting his contract signed and being able to participate in training camp. However, once that happens, there won't be much time for the 22-year-old to prove that he is worthy of a roster spot.
Poitras is already fighting a losing battle in the bottom six, with the veterans ahead of him and likely behind James Hagens on the depth chart. If Poitras doesn't find a way to make the NHL roster this season, with all the prospects the Bruins potentially have coming in the next year or so, he is in serious danger of falling by the wayside in the organization.
This will be the biggest training camp of his career if he manages to get there.
James Hagens
Hagens does have something to lose at this training camp, but unlike Poitras, a demotion won't mean the end of his Bruins tenure. It's starting to look like the front office would be okay with slow-playing his development, whether fans like it or not.
Nevertheless, we all know the media firestorm that will happen if Hagens starts this year in Providence. For the kid's sake, you just have to hope he does enough through camp and the four preseason games to earn his chance to start on the roster.
Frederic Brunet
It may be just the first time since turning pro that Frederic Brunet has a legitimate shot at making the NHL roster, but he, and more importantly the Bruins, have a ton to lose. Brunet will now need to pass through waivers if he doesn't make the opening night roster, and it's nearly a guarantee that a team would take a chance on him after his breakout season in the AHL.
For Brunet, it's a win-win, as he will either make the Bruins or get picked up by a team that will play him in the NHL. However, it seems like he is very committed to making Boston and having a future there.
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