Marco Sturm didn't mince words when talking about one Bruins defenseman

The return of Hampus Lindholm from injury was going to be an interesting one when it happened for the Boston Bruins. Jordan Harris was playing well in his absence, and it was going to be hard for Marco Sturm to take the Massachusetts native out of the lineup when Lindholm did return. However, once Harris also suffered an injury, the easy move for head coach Marco Sturm was to swap Lindholm with Michael Callahan.

The Harris injury seemed like a blessing in disguise for Mason Lohrei. Last year's minus-leader was having another less-than-stellar defensive season, and fans were clamoring for him to spend a night in the press box. His place should've been secure, but Lohrei struggled so much in Monday night's loss to the Ottawa Senators that the Bruins called up Jonathan Aspirot from Providence to replace him.

There are no hidden meanings or ulterior motives for Lohrei spending Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders in the press box. The young defenseman simply hasn't been good enough, and Sturm made that clear pre-game when he announced the move.

""We expect more from him, and sometimes we have to press that reset button. And it's not like we want to bury him, no, I want to help him, and that's part of the process. And again, you get some good things, but too many mistakes lately.""

Marco Sturm

It's always interesting when a new coach comes into the fold and you start to see him find his own favorites and players who he doesn't see a fit in his system. With the hybrid defensive zone system Sturm is running, it isn't too surprising that Lohrei is struggling, and his comments seem like a coach who is sick of seeing his defenseman make the same mistakes.

Will Jonathan Aspirot stick around?

On the other hand, Aspirot is quickly emerging as a favorite for Sturm. He stuck around until the final days of training camp and is already getting his first NHL game, not even a month into the season. After coaching against Aspirot in the AHL's Pacific Division over the past few seasons, Sturm sees something he likes, and I think if he had it his way, Aspirot would be a full-time member of the lineup.

The reality is that it's simply not smart for the Bruins to keep sitting Lohrei and playing Aspirot. Lohrei needs the reps so that the front office can actually see if they have something, and there's no way he can learn Sturm's system without game action. In a season where the Bruins aren't likely to contend, Sturm has to just roll with the punches and keep Lohrei in the lineup. An occasional benching to reset isn't a bad move, it just can't become an every night occurence.

While this defense decision might be something that Sturm is going to dig his heels in on with the front office, it's likely that Don Sweeney and co. will get their own way with this one.