The Boston Bruins have a good problem after sweeping their West Coast road trip. With all their forwards playing well during this five-game winning streak, head coach Marco Sturm now has 13 forwards who deserve a spot in the lineup. Unfortunately, there are only 12 spots, which will make things very interesting over the next week or two.
Matthew Poitras has five points in six games since returning from an injury that kept him out at the start of the season. He also had a point in each West Coast game, including a goal against the San Jose Sharks, a clutch insurance marker against the Anaheim Ducks, and a hard-work assist that put the Bruins ahead against the Los Angeles Kings when he was given the chance to center the second line.
Marat is left ALL ALONE in front and he gives the Bruins the LEAD with 6 minutes left 🚨
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 18, 2026
Kings are now down 2-1 late and are the only NHL team still without a win 😳 pic.twitter.com/s3Bb0iL2K4
Poitras took Sean Kuraly's spot in the lineup, and the veteran returned only after Pavel Zacha missed the Kings game with an injury. He returned to the fourth-line center role, recording two shots, an 83.3 percent faceoff win percentage, two hits, one blocked shot, and 14:19 of ice time. If nothing else, it only proved that Kuraly deserves to play in that role, but he is just a victim of the numbers game.
The roles come into play, and that's what makes this an intriguing dilemma for Sturm. Poitras has been great between Mark Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot, but is he actually the long-term option at 4C? Now that the young center has shown he belongs, some argue he can play higher in the lineup, but finding a spot for him that also lets Kuraly return could be difficult.
Is Casey Mittelstadt the eventual odd-man out?
Mittelstadt has had a great start to the season, and his game has reached another level since he started playing with Elias Lindholm and James Hagens. He seems more engaged in the play, is showing off some offensive potential, and is even getting more physically involved, albeit still on a small scale.
Despite his good play, are the Bruins that much worse with Poitras on that wing instead of Mittelstadt? We've already seen some chemistry between him and Hagens after the goal against the Sharks, and Lindholm can bring veteran leadership to his young wingers.
The Bruins may need to look long-term here and accept that Mittelstadt may not be with the team after this season, while Poitras tries to stick around. Rumors persist that Poitras is on the trade block, and this solid play could boost his trade value. If moving off the young center makes the team better elsewhere, Don Sweeney has to consider it.
Depending on how serious Zacha's injury is, the Bruins have some time to figure things out. However, once everyone is healthy, the team will have to make a tough lineup decision.
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