Bruins coach Marco Sturm make curious lineup change ahead of Canucks matchup

If the 2025-26 Boston Bruins were going to have a bounce-back season, then they were going to need a lot of things to go right for them. Whether it was the goaltending and Jermey Swayman having a big-time bounce-back season or depth scoring, first-year coach Marco Sturm was going to need players to step up.

Injuries played a big part in the early part of the season for the Black and Gold, who saw several key players sidelined at some point. That meant that Sturm was going to have to dip down to the American Hockey League (AHL) to the Providence Bruins to bring up some reinforcements. One of those reinforcements who came up in early November was former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alex Steeves.

Since coming up, Steeves has been a pleasant surprise for Sturm and the Bruins, but it appears he'll be out of the lineup against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night at the TD Garden.

Bruins forward Alex Steeves to sit out Canucks matchup

Steeves will draw out against Vancouver on Saturday night, and Jeffrey Viel will slot in. He was with Sean Kuraly and Mikey Eyssimont on the fourth line in Saturday's morning skate, according to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.

Steeves has seven goals and nine points for the Black and Gold this year while averaging 12:46 in time on ice with a plus/minus of plus-3. He has 27 shots on the net. Viel will be returning in the lineup to give Boston a physical presence in it.

“Obviously, I think bringing a lot of energy. Keep it simple early and just help this team on the ice and get a spark going,” said Viel. “I am a pro, so it’s just showing up every day, being positive, and working on my game. Just staying in shape. It’s not always easy, but it’s part of the game.”

Boston needs scoring, and Steeves has been supplying that, so it'll be interesting to see how this move ends up working out.