As Bruins look to the future, it’s time to give the kids a shot
The Bruins have not received much offensive production from Trent Frederic, Oliver Wahlstrom, or Justin Brazeau of late.
COMMENTARY
Mason Lohrei wasn’t harping on the positives Tuesday night.
“Obviously, it’s tough,” the 24-year-old defenseman said. “I mean — you’re always looking for the two points and gave that away tonight.”
Lohrei was not pleased with the final seconds of Tuesday’s disheartening 5-4 overtime loss to the Leafs — with a failed reach near the offensive blue giving Toronto’s Mitch Marner an eventual breakaway bid that ended the game with 51 seconds left in the extra frame.
But even with that miscue from the second-year skater, Lohrei’s head coach would not focus on any shortcomings on a night where his D-man also recorded two assists and landed six shots on goal over 22:05 of ice time.
“Mason did a lot of good things tonight,” Joe Sacco said. “Three-on-three hockey — there’s a couple of breakdowns here and there. It’s wide-open hockey. But Mase did a lot of good things early on.”
While Lohrei has gone through his fair share of growing pains in his first full season in the NHL ranks, his playmaking prowess and mobility is hard to ignore — as put on display by his crisp stretch pass that set up David Pastrnak’s first goal of the evening.
“World-class pass,” Pastrnak said of Lohrei’s feed less than a minute into Tuesday’s game. “I was surprised it ended right on my stick.”
As expected, Lohrei has had plenty of peaks and valleys this season with Boston.
But with the Bruins’ D corps already banged up and Boston potentially staring at a sell-off by next weekend, now is the ideal time for the Bruins to let a promising young talent continue to develop in a season with few stakes at play in regards to the present.
It’s a sentiment that also carries over to Matt Poitras, who will also look to end the year on a high note after recording seven helpers in his last 14 games.
But as the Bruins continue to slide in the standings and focus on the future, one has to wonder why other youngsters are still awaiting their shot at the next level.
Fair to say — the Bruins don’t boast the strongest prospect pipeline in the NHL. Years of relinquishing first-round picks in hopes of “win-now” moves have left Boston’s prospect pool barren.
It remains to be seen if Boston’s next wave of younger players like Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, and John Farinacci have the skills and the mettle to develop into steady NHLers.
Of course, that verdict can’t be reached if these players continue to toil down in the AHL.
During the same press conference on Sunday where Don Sweeney acknowledged that the Bruins were opting for a “cautious” approach at the deadline after years of buying, Boston’s GM was asked whether or not players like Merkulov and Lysell could warrant a look with the NHL club down this final stretch.
“Yeah, if they’re playing well,” Sweeney said. “They’re going through a good playoff positioning stretch down there, both those two players are contributing on a nightly basis and working through. They both played up here. If their game merits it, they’re going to get a good opportunity to play.”
Those comments echo a similar message doled out by team president Cam Neely last month when asked about the risk and reward that comes with inserting unproven youngsters into the lineup.
“With Fabian, we certainly like his skill set, but one of the things with him we’ve preached is away from the puck,” Neely said of Lysell. “And when you don’t have the puck, how do you play? Are you outscoring your mistakes is really the question at the end of the day.”
There’s no doubt that there is risk involved with giving any unproven player an extended look at hockey’s highest level.
And by no means is calling up Merkulov, Lysell, or Farinacci going to solve Boston’s scoring woes — nor is it any guarantee that any of those three can stick in the NHL ranks.
But if the Bruins are ready to punt on this season, it’s a disservice to not see what these players can do when handed an opportunity — especially when taking into account the lack of production currently found in Boston’s lineup.
If the Bruins are concerned about players not being able to “outscore their mistakes”, where does that leave Oliver Wahlstrom — who has recorded more penalties (7) than points (2) over his 16 games with Boston?
Wahlstrom finished with zero shots on goal over just 5:45 of ice time Tuesday, with an offensive-zone penalty in the closing minute of the second period giving Toronto new life by way of a Marner power-play tally in the following period.
While Trent Frederic exited Tuesday’s game due to injury, the potential trade chip still has just three goals and four total points over his last 28 games. Justin Brazeau? Zero goals and two assists in his last 14 games.
For all of the questions surrounding Boston’s prospects, they’ve done their part down at the AHL ranks.
Merkulov has posted 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) over 46 games this season — a year removed from posting 65 points over 67 games with the P-Bruins.
Farinacci, a 2019 third-round pick by Arizona who signed an entry-level deal with Boston in August 2023, now has 22 points over his last 22 games with Providence. And even though Lysell has struggled with injuries and inconsistencies over the years, his speed helped set up a goal for Boston in his lone game with the Bruins in December.
Production at the AHL level sure doesn’t guarantee success in the NHL.
But if the Bruins are already going nowhere this season, now stands as the ideal time to see if these players can thrive (or fail) over an extended sample size.
If they hold their own, the Bruins might have a few young pieces worth retaining in this retool.
And if they can’t? Well, the product on the ice won’t be all that much different from the zero-calorie production Boston is already receiving further down the depth chart.
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