Analysis: Time to sit Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano, give others a shot

Every practice and every game will be a tryout for nearly every player in the Bruins organization this season. Don Sweeney and Bruce Cassidy have made their intentions known to those veterans and rookies battling for a roster spot in Boston.

Forget for a moment that the Bruins are dealing with injuries to key players, including Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Noel Acciari. Adam McQuaid, who was injured during Sunday’s game in Vegas and missed practice on Tuesday, returned to the ice Wednesday. Ryan Spooner, who was also injured Sunday, has not returned.

It didn’t help that Anders Bjork collided with Tuukka Rask and the goalie needed to be helped off the ice on Wednesday. After practice, Cassidy told reporters he did not have an update on Rask and hopefully he’ll be ok.

The Bruins made a few interesting transactions this week, sending forwards Danton Heinen and Austin Czarnik to Providence on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Bruins recalled Peter Cehlarik and Kenny Agostino from the P-Bruins.

Many Bruins fans would rather see Matt Beleskey, Spooner and Frank Vatrano sent to Providence, but salaries and the waiver wire are preventing those scenarios at this point. Since Spooner is sidelined, it appears both Beleskey and Vatrano could be healthy scratches on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks at TD Garden. And, they should be. All three of those players have been ineffective.

Cehlarik and Agostino have earned the opportunity. In fact, Heinen did too and was one of the Bruins’ best players on the team’s recent road trip. But because Sweeney has the flexibility, he has the ability to use different players from the P-Bruins when he sees fit and now is certainly one of those times.

Let’s break down the scenarios and how each player could fit it

Cehlarik has been solid in Providence. He’s been tracking the puck well and has been an effective straight-line player. He’s stronger than he was a season ago, his first in Providence, and he’s fully healthy from offseason shoulder surgery. He’s quicker on pucks and has been a force in the early going.

He played 11 games for the Bruins last season and was on the line with David Krejci. Those two were decent together, but Cehlarik started to overthink the game and had some issues playing in the neutral zone. Maybe in the future those two could be reunited, but Cassidy should keep Cehlarik and Agostino together, along with Riley Nash. That line has the potential to create synergy. If Cehlarik and Agostino can continue to play the way they have in Providence, and Nash can get them the puck, it could be an effective trio.

Keeping rookie Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak with Krejci could prove vital to the Bruins’ success. It also gives Boston a more balanced attack.

One of the questions regarding Agostino is whether he’s the prototypical 4-A type of player, who’s too good for the AHL and not good enough for the NHL. He was the best player in the American League last season and has been outstanding so far for the P-Bruins with seven points in three games.

I’ve seen this type of scenario play out time and again and the end result is always determined by the players’ makeup. It also helps that the player is put in a position to succeed. That’s why, at this point, it’s important to keep him with Cehlarik since the two are playing with determination.

Agostino is still trying to find his way, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can handle the pace in the NHL. There are more positive aspects to his game than negative at this point.

Heinen’s handled his assignment to Providence as well as anybody could have asked, which is a sign of a true professional. He was one of the better players for the Bruins on the recent road trip, but Heinen was simply one of the odd-man out because of his two-way contract. He’s in a good spot. He understands the situation where there are a lot of players vying for open spots.

Czarnik also took his assignment well and did his job in the two games he's played for the Bruins. He still needs to develop. Because the Bruins have an uncertain lineup, it helps motivate those players in Providence to want to earn that next opportunity.

Depending on Rask’s situation, this is the one area the Bruins don’t have enough depth. It didn’t help when the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Malcolm Subban off waivers at the start of the season. Zane McIntyre has been decent for the P-Bruins and prospect Daniel Vladar, 20, is playing for Atlanta in the ECHL. Sweeney needs to go out and find a goalie if Rask will be sidelined for an extended period of time.