With roster spots once again up for grabs, Peter Cehlarik set to enter make-or-break year with Bruins

Before Karson Kuhlman appeared to stop the carousel of wingers on David Krejci’s line during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a top-six role appeared to be Peter Cehlarik’s to lose. 

A smooth skater with a big frame (6-foot-2, 202 pounds), Cehlarik made the most of his latest promotion up to the Bruins back in January — tallying a pair of goals and posting three total points in his first two contests up with Boston. 

A productive AHL player (99 points in 137 career games with Providence), Cehlarik appeared to be a natural fit as his stint up with the big club continued, generating an absurd 76.74 Corsi For percentage through his first 25:43 of 5v5 TOI. 

And yet, despite forming part of a trio with Krejci and Jake DeBrusk that posted a 60.39 CF% and scored five 5v5 goals in 104 minutes of ice time together, Cehlarik found himself on the outside looking in during Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Final — with his last appearance with Boston coming all the way back on March 12. 

It was a disappointing result for the 23-year-old Cehlarik, who entered restricted free agency without much momentum to build off of. 

Fortunately for the winger, it looks as though he’s in line for another chance up in the NHL ranks in 2019-20 — although it might be his last shot in a black and gold sweater. 



While he may not steal the headlines as much as Boston’s other RFA targets this summer, Cehlarik and the Bruins did come to terms Monday on a one-year, two-way contract that would represent a $700,000 cap hit up at the NHL level. Cehlarik, who opted to not go to salary arbitration with Boston despite having the option, will make $125,000 if he remains down with Providence. 

But based on the current makeup of Boston’s roster (barring a trade), it looks as though Cehlarik will be right in the mix for a starting gig right out of the gate come September. 

Tabbed by Don Sweeney as one of the potential replacements for Marcus Johansson on the third line, Cehlarik doesn’t exactly have an open path to a roster spot, with Anders Bjork, Brett Ritchie, Oskar Steen and more all expected to vie for the same minutes during what should be a competitive training camp. 

While advanced statistics often project Cehlarik as a promising NHLer that positively impacts his club’s efforts when it comes to puck possession, it was the winger’s puck play — or lack thereof, rather — that led to his demotion back in March. 

After a win over the Devils on March 2 in which Cehlarik was benched for the entire third period, Bruce Cassidy was quick to point out the concerning areas in Cehlarik’s game that led to his dropping stock in the depth chart.

“There were a few things we didn’t like. … It was a little more about his routes, responsibility away from the puck, managing it at the end of the second period in your own end,” Cassidy said. “Those are things we’ve talked to him numerous times about, so we went a different route, and we’ll see where it leads.

“He’s here in the NHL. He’s earned his right to be in the lineup. I think we’ve used him up in the lineup with Krejci. We’ve used him with Charlie Coyle, two very good players. So I think at some point the responsibility falls on the player to be ready to play and play the Bruins way. I thought he got away from that a little bit, so that’s it.”

More miscues or careless play with the puck could signal the end of Cehlarik’s tenure in Boston, as the Bruins would have to place him on waivers if they do opt to eventually demote him again at some point in the season, due to the forward now being waiver eligible. 

Of course, if he turns the corner and holds onto a regular role to either Krejci or Coyle’s right throughout the year, then problem solved. For both player and team. 

Bruins sign six to AHL contracts

The Bruins continued to fill out their organizational depth chart on Monday, as the team announced that it has signed six players to AHL contracts. 

Forwards Samuel Asselin and Brendan Woods were inked to two-year contracts with the Providence Bruins, while Chris Breen, Robert Lantosi, Joel Messner, and Alexey Solovyev were signed to one-year deals. 

Asselin, a Quebec native that received interest from clubs like the Canadiens before signing with the Bruins, will be an intriguing candidate up in the AHL ranks, as the 21-year-old forward tallied 48 goals and 38 assists for 86 points with a plus-51 rating in 68 appearances for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL in 2018-19. His 48 goals were the most in the QMJHL and the most in a single season by a Halifax player since 1994. 

Woods, a former fifth-round pick (129th overall, 2012 NHL Draft)) by the Carolina Hurricanes, appeared in 53 games with the Utica Comets in 2018-19, posting seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound power forward also accrued 103 penalty minutes.

Breen, 30, has served as an assistant captain with Providence for the past four seasons, with the  6-foot-7, 226-pound defenseman posting 11 points over 47 games with the P-Bruins in 2018-19. Messner also played for Providence in 2018-19, with the 25-year-old defenseman tallying one goal and six assists for seven points. 

Lantosi, 23, skated in 56 games with Nitra MHC in the Slovak Tipsport Liga, the top hockey league in Slovakia last season. Lantosi tallied 20 goals and posted 58 points in his final year with Nitra. Solovyev, 24, has spent the last four seasons patrolling the blue line at Bentley University. The Moscow native posted five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 37 games as a senior in 2018-19.

Despite losing captain Jordan Szwarz to free agency last week, the Bruins were busy on July 1 when it came to adding impact players to their AHL roster for 2019-20, headlined by netminder Max Lagacé,  forward Brendan Gaunce and more.