Through the first two preseason games, the returns have been mixed for the Boston Bruins prospects in terms of them looking to impress enough to make the roster of out training camp. The two biggest names that everyone is keeping an eye on are Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov. Both were expected to battle it out to potentially take Jake DeBrusk’s roster spot.
In the first two preseason games against the New York Rangers, neither player played well and in fact, it was hard to find either one of them out there at times. Against the Washington Capitals Tuesday night, Lysell responded to coach Jim Montgomery’s comments from earlier in the day and had a goal and was good in all three zones in a 4-1 win. Merkulov had his moments, but it wasn’t a performance that would open some eyes.
Brad Marchand has message for younger Bruins players
Wednesday, after practice at Warrior Ice Arena, captain Brad Marchand spoke about the younger players and how they have fared. He gave a veteran’s response and had a message for all of them as camp continued.
"It's encouraging, but 'pretty well' needs to be better,'' said Marchand. "'Pretty good' is not going to cut it. If you're happy with that, then you've got a long ways to go."
He's certainly right, some of them do have a long way to go if they are going to stick in Boston beyond the final round of cuts. As mentioned above, Lysell played better last night, but he needs to find consistency in his game. Merkulov is the same way, needs consistency.
In the overall big picture, you can bet that the Bruins front office is looking for Lysell or Merkulov to get a hold of that last roster spot by the end of camp. As far as a cap standpoint goes, that's in the best interest of the front office and then the team, but getting one of them to do that is going to be easier said than done. For Lysell, this seems like his best chance to find himself in the NHL on opening night than his first couple of seasons as a pro.