One thing was for sure: going into training camp this season, the Boston Bruins had a ton of defensemen for a few spots. Second-year head coach Marco Sturm and his staff have some decisions to make when all is said and done this weekend.
The Bruins still have two more preseason games remaining against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night and the Washington Capitals on Friday night on the road. In their first two games with lineups that were mixed with veterans and younger players, the Black and Gold allowed just three goals combined to the Capitals and Flyers.
Sure, that's a good sign, but one player that fans have a lot of eyes on is Frederic Brunet, who many believe is ready for the NHL. After playing in both games, the 23-year-old is making it tough on Sturm and the organization to send him to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
“He had another good night. He’s been rock solid. There are still little details in his game we have to clean up, but overall, having his first few games here this year under his belt, I think he looks very comfortable,” Sturm said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “That’s a good thing. Keep working with him. He’s a good kid – wants to learn. And for sure, he’s going to get better and better.”
Boston Bruins facing tough Frederic Brunet decision
Make no mistake about it, Brunet has impressed in both games. He started a little slow against Washington, but he got better as the game went along and made a big play late in the game, clearing the puck from the goal line to force overtime.
On Tuesday night against the Flyers, he picked up a pair of assists in the 5-1 win. He picked up a secondary assist on Mikey Eyssimont's first-period goal, then, in the third period, he picked up the primary assist on Brian Halonen's goal on the rebound of Brunet's shot. A Boston Bruins defenseman who shoots the puck on net? Give him a roster spot right now.
There are a couple of factors that are going to come into play in making roster decisions in a couple of days. When it comes to Brunet, he'll require waivers to get to the AHL, like Matthew Poitras, and it's not guaranteed that they would even get there. Also, Charlie McAvoy is suspended for the first six games of the season for his slash in last spring's playoffs.
Putting Brunet on waivers to keep players like Jonathan Aspirot or Jordan Harris would be a major mistake. Brunet has shown that he's NHL-ready, and it would be a no-brainer to keep him as the extra defenseman at least to begin the season and likely all season long.
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