Bruins Notebook: Zach Senyshyn earns 1st shot up in NHL, B’s ready to rest with home ice clinched

The timeline isn’t exactly what both Zach Senyshyn and the Bruins were expecting, but close to four years after Boston selected the dynamic winger with the 15th overall pick in the 2015 Draft, Senyshyn is set to finally make his debut up in the NHL ranks.

Senyshyn, who will be the last skater selected in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft to make his NHL debut, is set to play during Thursday’s matchup against Minnesota after getting called up from Providence on an emergency basis. Trent Frederic was also recalled in the transaction. 

With numerous players sitting out of practice on Wednesday, it’s unclear where exactly Senyshyn will slot into the lineup, but the 22-year-old forward primarily skated with Charlie Coyle during rushes at the Xcel Energy Center.

Considered a bit of a reach in the first round back in 2015 (especially with … *sigh* ... guys like Mathew Barzal, Thomas Chabot, Kyle Conner and Brock Boes ... you know the story), Senyshyn drew praise for his play down in the OHL — using his plus speed and strong frame to be an effective scorer down at the junior level. Over his final two seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Senyshyn tallied a combined 87 goals.

His next two seasons up in the AHL have offered a bit of a steeper challenge — with the winger only tallying 26 goals over a combined 128 games down with Providence. Still, with his size, two-way potential and noted creativity in the offensive zone, the forward still does have a chance to offer something down in the road up at the pro level, even if he hasn’t taken off as other first-round picks.



“I think I can bring a lot of speed. Definitely my offensive game and I like to bring a lot of power and I like to set the pace of the game,” Senyshyn said. “Hopefully I’m able to bring that here."

"I was a little bit more raw last year,  definitely had to fine tune a couple things and really round out my game,” he added. “I feel like with a lot of help from my coaches down in Providence that it's gotten a lot better. I still hope to grow and take my game to the next level with a little bit of experience up here."

While what will likely be a two-game sample up with Boston at the close of the regular season may not be an extended look, the opportunity might be just what Senyshyn needs to make a strong impression before vying for another spot on the roster come September.

At this point, the pressure is off for the winger, now that Boston has already clinched home ice in its playoff matchup against the Maple Leafs.

"You don't know,” Cassidy said on what he expects out of Senyshyn. “It's his first NHL game. I hope nerves go by quickly. These are tough for guys at the end of the year, but it's better late than never way to look at it. You've got to go in under the circumstances presented to you.

"Who was it this year that came up, was it (Urho Vaakanainen’s) first game, he had to fly across the county to Vancouver? Sometimes it is what it is. He got in this morning, gets a bit of a short practice under his belt. Comes into a good environment. I hope he just goes out and plays a solid 200-foot game. He's a great skater, so put some pressure on the D, make them uncomfortable, attack off the wing. Whatever falls into place from there, we'll wait and see."

Rest prescribed

With Boston checking off on all of their objectives ahead of the postseason when it comes to playoff positioning, Cassidy noted following Tuesday’s 6-2 win over Columbus that a number of regulars in the Boston’s lineup will likely get a breather over the next two games.

“Talking to the veteran guys — I think part of the decision has to be theirs,” Cassidy said on Tuesday. “Obviously if there's any nagging injuries, it takes it out of their hands and we can make that. If there's not, how do they feel? At the end of the day, we'll discuss that tonight and tomorrow morning. See where it leads. But I suspect we'll have a few guys mixed in and give these guys a bit of a breather."

Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Chris Wagner and Marcus Johansson all did not practice on Wednesday, although Cassidy only confirmed that Wagner will definitely sit out of Thursday’s game. However, more scratches are to be expected to be announced ahead of puck drop.

While Johansson was knocked around on Tuesday after colliding with Krejci, Cassidy added that the winger expects to be alright for game action and will likely play against the Wild as he looks to shake off some rust.

“We are going to rest some guys,” Cassidy said. “The final decision will be made in the morning. I can tell you that Wagner's going to be out. He's been dealing with a lower-body, so he needs a few days off completely. Felt better today, but still we want to get him right. The other guys it's more maintenance, nagging stuff, and (Jaroslav) Halak will start tomorrow. The lines we'll sort through. There's probably a few guys that move around. We're gonna try to keep some chemistry together and then sort it out from there."

Coyle returns back to Minnesota

Thursday’s matchup against the Wild will also see a couple of skaters face off against their former clubs in Coyle and Ryan Donato.

Coyle, who played seven seasons in Minnesota before getting dealt to Boston in late February, is now up six points over 19 games with the Bruins.

"I loved it. It feels like a second home. I was here for six, seven years, met a lot of people, great relationships,” Coyle said of Minnesota. “I love the organization, the staff, everyone. They made it fun to come to the rink every day and just have a good time, have fun, work hard. I definitely miss it a ton, yeah.”

Donato, meanwhile, has benefited from plenty of added reps with the Wild, tallying four goals and posting 16 total points over 19 games with his new club. Averaging over three more minutes per game with Minnesota, a volume shooter like Donato has likely surpassed expectations when it comes to his overall playmaking ability, although he has only recorded one assist over his last five games.