The Boston Bruins were big sellers at the trade deadline last season, notably shipping out Brad Marchand to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, trading Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Trent Frederic to the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. So the Bruins team will look different than years past, but there are still some familiar faces on the roster.
Entering training camp, there are questions regarding their top six forwards group. Marchand obviously isn't there anymore, but they still have players like David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, and Morgan Geekie. But there are newer faces, such as Casey Mittelstedt, who came over from the Colorado Avalanche in the Charlie Coyle trade, and Viktor Arvidsson, who was acquired from the Oilers this offseason. But how will the team organize their top six forwards?
It may all depend on Pavel Zacha. Even though he has played center most of his career, both Lindholm and Mittelstedt are both centers. So will Zacha play wing?
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm was asked about whether Zacha will play center or wing this season. Sturm simply said, "I don't know."
"I love him as a centerman, absolutely love him, but he might have to play on the wing," said Sturm. "I don't know. You might ask me, you can, but I will give you the same answer all the time. It doesn't mean tomorrow you're going to look at the lineup, you're going to look at the lines a little bit, I guarantee you that's not the line we're going to go with in Game 1. I can guarantee you. It's not the line we're going to go Game 1 in the preseason. There will be changes because I want to see it."
Marco Sturm doesn't commit to Pavel Zacha playing primarily center or wing
Based on Sturm's comments, it seems as though Zacha's position will change on a game-by-game basis, especially in the preseason.
As mentioned earlier, the Bruins have two centers in Lindholm and Mittelstedt, and that is the position they played throughout their careers. Given Sturm's comments, it seems like Zacha could be the odd player out. Again, we truly won't know until we see how the new Bruins coach sets up the lines throughout the preseason.
Zacha is in the third year of his four-year, $19 million contract extension with the team. Zacha has had the best statistical seasons of his career since being traded to Boston by the New Jersey Devils. In the 2022-23 season, Zacha put up 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists). The following year, Zacha recorded 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists). Last season, Zacha recorded 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points in 82 games played.
The Bruins fan base hopes that the fire sale they had last year and the additions they made in the offseason will help the team return to the playoffs. But the question mark regarding the top six forwards will be one worth monitoring this preseason.