The NHL's waiver rules forced the Boston Bruins' hand, keeping Matthew Poitras and Frederic Brunet on the roster after training camp. With Poitras injured, they had to wait to give him his first look in the lineup, but it was becoming clear he could steal Sean Kuraly's spot on the fourth line. Likewise, Brunet spent the first three games in the press box thanks to the team's good start, but it would've made little sense to keep him there for too long.
The Bruins' loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night opened the door for some lineup changes, and Marco Sturm is jumping in with two feet, injecting both Providence Bruins standouts from last season into the matchup with the Ottawa Senators on Monday night. The victims of the fresh lineup are Michael Eyssimont, whom the team put on waivers to send to Providence; Kuraly, whom Poitras will replace on the fourth line; and Jonathan Aspirot, whom Brunet fills in for on the third pair.
Matthew Poitras' golden opportunity
Poitras has a chance to steal Kuraly's spot in the lineup thanks to a new edge he showed in his lone preseason game. Kuraly has been slowing down a bit, and his offense is limited, which gives Poitras a great opportunity with Boston needing more depth scoring. If the young center can keep the fourth line's forechecking identity while potentially giving them more scoring chances than Kuraly, it could outweigh some of the things the Bruins are missing with Kuraly out of the lineup.
The biggest loss the Bruins will feel without Kuraly is on the penalty kill. Unfortunately for Poitras, he could play a perfect game, but if Boston allows three powerplay goals tonight, Kuraly may still draw back in on Thursday. The 22-year-old will not play the penalty kill, according to Sturm, which means others will have to step up.
Frederic Brunet's early lineup insertion
Brunet has been practicing with Charlie McAvoy throughout camp, but he did play a single preseason game without the team's star. With Brunet sticking around after camp but not playing, the thought was that the Bruins could be waiting for McAvoy to return from suspension to roll them out as a pairing.
It was becoming clear that Aspirot needed a night off after a terrible preseason and a similarly poor start to the first three regular season games. Unfortunately for last season's breakout defenseman, his time in Boston could be coming to an end if Brunet proves worthy of staying once McAvoy does return.
Brunet now has the chance to get a bit of on-the-job training before pairing up with McAvoy. It is a bit of a good spot for him, but proving he can play without the star as well would be an even better sign for his job security.
The pairing of him and Mason Lohrei have the chance to be a bit of a nightmare in the defensive zone, but with Lohrei playing well to start the season, it's worth seeing if they have some chemistry.
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