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The preseason is drawing to a close this weekend, but not before the Boston Bruins will get a look at their latest first-round pick, David Pastrnak. Injured in an awkward collision with Matt Bartkowski early into camp, the 18-year-old winger has finally been cleared, and will make the trip to Bridgeport, Conn. and be in the lineup for tonight’s contest against the New York Islanders.
Taken with the 25th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, the 5-foot-10 winger has been the talk of the summer given his unique skill-set (heavy on speed, creativity, and finish) and potential to fit in with the B’s on a full-time basis right away. Some summertime talk penciled the teen as David Krejci’s right winger on the Bruins’ top line, but at this point of the camp, it’s really become seeing what he has.
“For us to keep him here, there’s a lot of things we have to see,… Claude Julien said after Thursday’s practice (before he was cleared for tonight’s game). “He’s not a big player, so can he handle the strength of this league? He’s gonna have to show us that.
“I don’t know if it’s enough time for us to have a clear idea [of his readiness], but that’s all we have.…
If Pastrnak shows enough for the B’s to warrant keeping him around for the start of the regular season, they’ll have a nine-game trial before they have to decide whether or not they’ll hang onto him for the entire year (and burn up a year of his entry-level contract) or send him back to Sweden.
“The biggest thing is that we’re gonna get a look at him,… Julien noted.
Pastrnak, who scored eight goals and finished with 24 points in 36 games for Sodertalje SK last year, is expected to skate on the fourth line with Danny Paille and center Craig Cunningham.
Personally, I don’t think that Pastrnak is ready for NHL minutes (a 170-pounder always seems like a gamble at that age), but given the club’s lack of scoring punch on their bottom-six, he may be worth the nine-game look if it’s in a considerably sheltered role, perhaps on a line with Carl Soderberg.
The Bruins also recalled forwards Justin Florek, Seth Griffith, Alexander Kokhlachev, Ryan Spooner, and defensemen Chris Breen and Zach Trotman for tonight’s tilt.
Fridays are Ty-Days: The Buzzcast, Oct. 3, 2014
I was happy to join Ek, Mike Augello, Josh Rimer, and USA Today's Kevin Allen for another HockeyBuzzcast this afternoon, where we previewed the Atlantic Division.
While we didn't give our predictions, I gotta assume that that's for the best, 'cause I'm still throwing darts at a board trying to figure how the hell this division will pan out.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com