When the Boston Bruins re-signed forward John Beecher ahead of free agency beginning back in July, one question that popped into the heads of Bruins fans was, 'Where is he going to play?' Then, once free agency opened and general manager Don Sweeney signed a handful of bottom-six forwards again, that question became even more head-scratching.
So far in camp and the preseason, the former University of Michigan standout has not impressed enough to even make the Group A group at practice following Tuesday night's 5-4 preseason overtime win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Boston will play their third preseason game on late Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers on the road, and first-year head coach Marco Sturm and the staff are giving Beecher another chance to prove himself this preseason.
Bruins inserting John Beecher into lineup against Flyers on Saturday
On Saturday morning, the Bruins X account dropped the players who are going to be in Philadelphia later in the afternoon, and one name that stuck out again is Beecher. He has played in the first two preseason games, and the results haven't been as good as he would have liked.
“I thought it started pretty strong,” Beecher said. “I feel like practices have been going well. Working hard, trying to just come in every day with a positive attitude.
“Obviously, my first game there in New York didn’t really go quite the way I wanted it to. But nothing we can do about it now. Just gotta learn from it and move on and take every day as a new opportunity.”
Beecher has been a bottom-of-the-lineup player for the Black and Gold and a good penalty killer. He is one of the faster skaters and has the knack for winning more face-offs than he loses. However, this camp, he is up against some veterans who were brought in through free agency, and if it comes down to a numbers game when cuts are made, right now, he's on the outside looking in. One thing is for sure: Sturm is giving Beecher every opportunity to prove himself before cuts are made.