When the Boston Bruins made their final round of cuts on Sunday, some names were eye-opening. Five players were placed on waivers and all cleared, while one of their top prospects, Matthew Poitras, was sent down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). He'll be joined by the players who cleared waivers.
Making the final roster cuts was not easy for first-year coach Marco Sturm, president Cam Neely, and general manager Don Sweeney. Telling a younger player that they have to go back to the minors is not something they want to do. However, it's part of the job.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney had a message to young players sent to the AHL
On Monday, Boston's management met with the media for their annual availability before the season starts. Sweeney explained the message to the players sent down.
“The other guys are going to go and put the work in that’s required to be next in line. The message is going to be, ‘We’re going to play the players that are playing the best.’ That extends to Providence,” Sweeney said. “They know that they were on the doorstep of making our team and breaking camp. But they also know there is going to be an opportunity here when either somebody is injured or they are not doing the job we expect them to do.”
The problem with younger players for the Black and Gold is that each year they go into camp, they are stuck in a numbers game because of offseason additions made in free agency. This summer was no different. Sweeney's big splash in free agency was Tanner Jeannot and multiple depth forwards, who Neely thinks will make the Bruins tougher to play against.
One prospect, Fraser Minten, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Brandon Carlo trade in March, is a promising prospect who earned a spot with a great camp and preseason.
"Fraser, to his credit, took the opportunity, and he’s earned it,” Sweeney said. “We’re going to start that way.”
Minten did earn the opportunity, but Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and the rest of the prospects, it was another camp where they fell short in the numbers game. Right now, they can take Sweeney's message and go with it and earn a call-up to the NHL at some point.