After playing well to begin the season, it was tough for Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm to take young defenseman Frederic Brunet out of the lineup. However, some growing pains were evident, and the Bruins' second-year head coach decided to give Brunet a break against the St. Louis Blues last Thursday night.
However, one game turned into two on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by a third on Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. After three games, Sturm, watching from the press box, hinted that Brunet could return to the lineup on Thursday on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“He’s good. That was one where I just wanted him to breathe and actually watch some games and try to get back to where he was playing right at the start. It was not really a punishment. It was just a reset with him,” Sturm said, per BostonBruins.com. “We want to build him up the right way. Once in a while we have to do it. Most likely, he is going to be in next game and be in for a bit. A very exciting kid, too. It’s fun to be part of those kinds of kids’ development and part of their young career.”
Bruins coach Marco Sturm hints at Frederic Brunet's return to the lineup against the Penguins
In 10 games this season, Brunet has one goal and four points while averaging 16:24 a night, mostly paired with Mason Lohrei. That was the pairing on Tuesday at practice, according to Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com.
Brunet was replaced in the lineup by Connor Clifton and Jonathan Aspirot. Sturm said it wasn't a punishment and was more likely a reset. Great. However, playing Aspirot over Brunet multiple times is certainly a decision. Don't be fooled, but this isn't 2025-26, when he had a good season. Brunet has been better than Aspirot in preseason and regular-season games.
Lohrei and Brunet have been a very good third pairing for Sturm this season. Boston put some faith in Brunet after not adding a bigger name, either through a trade or free agency, and having a reset early in the season is not a bad thing for a young team. What is a bad thing is making a rather lengthy one, over three games, which could begin to make a player question themselves.
A couple of years ago, Lohrei hit some bumps in the road, and he played through them, which was a learning curve, and now, Brunet is going through some bumps in the road, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds to what looks like a nine-day break in between games.
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