Coming off a road trip where they went 0-2-2, the Boston Bruins made a big announcement on Wednesday afternoon when they signed top prospect James Hagens to his entry-level deal.
By signing him, that means he won't be eligible to play for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) Calder Cup Playoffs later this month. Instead, he'll be up in Boston with the big club who need two points to clinch a postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.
The timing of Hagens' signing came as the Black and Gold were entering a three-day break between games. They begin the final weekend of the regular season at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden. Most Bruins fans were expecting to see Hagens make his NHL debut, but according to head coach Marco Sturm, that's not going to be the case.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm says James Hagens won't play against Lightning
After Friday's practice at Warrior Ice Arena, Sturm announced that Hagens will not draw into the lineup against Tampa Bay. According to Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe, Sturm said Hagens needs more time to get used to the Black and Gold's system and won't play against the Bolts.
So what should we make of this? According to reports from Warrior Ice Arena, Hagens was wearing a red/merlot shirt, according to Scott McLuaghlin of WEEI. Lukas Reichel and Alex Steeves were wearing the same shirt. Mikey Eyssimont, who hasn't done much this year, looks to be slotting into the lineup against his former team. Wonderful.
It makes sense, I guess, that the Bruins don't roll Hagens out there against Tampa Bay. Boston can clinch a postseason berth with a win in any fashion against a Lightning team that will be playing their fourth game on the road in six days. For once, the opponent will be tired because of the schedule, and can Boston take advantage of that?
As for Hagens, if Boston clinches, he will likely get into the lineup against either the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night or at home against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.