Bruins trim 12 players off roster: 4 takeaways from Boston’s latest round of cuts

With the start of the regular season just a week away, the Bruins announced their largest round of cuts of the preseason so far, with 12 players set to head down to Providence.

The list is as follows:

ASSIGNED TO PROVIDENCE: F Ryan Fitzgerald, G Kyle Keyser, F Joona Koppanen, D Jeremy Lauzon, F Zach Senyshyn, F Pavel Shen, F Oskar Steen, D Urho Vaakanainen.

PLACED ON WAIVERS FOR PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT TO PROVIDENCE: : F Paul Carey, F Brendan Gaunce, D Alex Petrovic.

WILL REPORT TO PROVIDENCE: F Robert Lantosi

As such, the Bruins are down to 32 players, which also includes players that currently injured, such as John Moore, Kevan Miller and Anton Blidh. 

Here’s the entire Bruins’ roster, as currently constituted:

FORWARDS

David Backes, Patrice Bergeron, Anders Bjork, Anton Blidh, Peter Cehlarik, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Danton Heinen, Cameron Hughes, David Krejci, Karson Kuhlman, Sean Kuraly, Par Lindholm, Brad Marchand, Joakim Nordstrom, David Pastrnak, Brett Ritchie, Jack Studnicka, Chris Wagner

DEFENSEMEN

Brandon Carlo, Zdeno Chara, Connor Clifton, Matt Grzelcyk, Steven Kampfer, Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Kevan Miller, John Moore, Jakub Zboril

GOALTENDERS

 Jaroslav Halak, Maxime Lagace, Tuukka Rask

With the preseason coming to a close, here are four takeaways from Boston’s latest round of roster cuts:

1. The Bruins are going to face a very tough decision with Anders Bjork

Earlier this week, it looked as though it was a given that Anders Bjork was going to start the season in Providence. It wasn’t a surprising development, given the crowded field at wing already on Boston’s roster, as well as the club’s preference to not rush the Notre Dame product after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery two years in a row. 



"What we all want to see is him play some games consecutively and get confidence — get back to being a productive player,” Bruce Cassidy said of Bjork on Tuesday. “I don’t know if he’ll be able to do that here right away."

But Bjork is doing his best to hang around with the big club, with a line of Bjork, Par Lindholm and David Backes dominating during Wednesday’s preseason win over the Devils — teaming up for a 5v5 tally from Backes while holding a 10-2 edge in shots on goal during their 13:22 of 5v5 TOI. 

Bjork certainly doesn’t look limited with his shoulder, as the 23-year-old winger has clearly made strides in improving his 200-foot game, rather than simply relying on his offensive tools to stand out on the ice. With an improved willingness to battle and bring the puck down low, Bjork has been a possession monster so far this preseason — with Boston holding a commanding 70-25 edge in shot attempts and a 37-14 advantage in shots on goal during the forward’s 41:34 of ice time. 

Given that Bjork can be sent down to the AHL without needing to clear waivers, it would still seem likely that he’d get the boot from the roster before a player like Brett Ritchie, who hasn’t shown too much this preseason in the O-zone. But if Bjork gets the call to play in Boston’s preseason finale on Saturday against the Blackhawks, another strong showing might finally tip the scales back in the winger’s favor. 

2. The Bruins could start the year with multiple players on injured reserve 

While Boston will need to cut down that 32-man roster by at least nine bodies ahead of the league deadline of October 1 at 5 p.m., the Bruins very well could have multiple players removed from the roster due to lingering injuries — both expected and somewhat unexpected.

The three givens for right now include Kevan Miller, John Moore and Anton Blidh — who are all expected to be on the shelf for quite some time due to knee surgery and shoulder surgeries, respectively. While Moore (1-2 months) and Blidh (4 months) have projected recovery timetables, Miller’s is a bit more up in the air, with both the player and team opting to not rush him back after such a serious injury. 

Joakim Nordstrom, who has yet to play in a preseason game — let alone practice with the main group sans non-contact sweater — could also be on the shelf to start the season, with the versatile forward still recovering from a foot fracture he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final. Peter Cehlarik, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, might also be put on IR if need be, considering that the winger would have to be exposed to waivers if Boston opts to send him down to Providence (the likely scenario). Of course, Cehlarik could be cleared and ready to go by the weekend, which would force the Bruins to make a decision on the winger sooner rather than later.

Given that his status is still up in the air, David Krejci could also be someone to monitor for a potential IR spot, given that the pivot has yet to skate since suffering a lower-body injury on Monday during a preseason bout against the Flyers. As such, both Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka appear to be waiting in the wings in case Boston’s center depth is tested. 

3. In Alex Petrovic, the Bruins shore up right-shot depth 

Once again, the Bruins have brought another PTO candidate into the fold, as the club announced Thursday that Alex Petrovic had signed a one-year, two-way contract that will pay the 27-year-old defenseman $700,000 at the NHL level. 

The former Panthers blueliner was solid in his role during the preseason for Boston, averaging 19:10 of ice time through three games while accruing seven blocked shots. While the veteran defenseman will likely spend most of the season down in the AHL ranks, it makes sense for Boston to add some insurance on the right side of its defense.

Currently, Boston has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to left-shot D in the system. If any of Boston’s expected starters in Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Matt Grzelcyk were to go down due to injury, Boston could turn to Providence and use any of Vaakanainen, Lauzon and Zboril in a call-up situation. And while he’s expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season, Moore figures to once again be in the mix.

But on the right side, beyond Steven Kampfer, Boston doesn’t have the same amount of cushioning — especially with Miller’s expected return from knee surgery still unclear. Boston has benefited over the years from stockpiling NHL-caliber talent up and down the roster, and even down in the AHL. Petrovic is just the latest example of Boston covering all of its bases before the grind of the regular season begins. 

4. Despite AHL assignments, multiple players stood out 

The Bruins have to be happy with how their training camp has played out so far, with multiple younger players more than holding their own during preseason play while more of the club’s regulars were eased into the lineup.

For some players, a spot on the NHL roster was out of the question simply due to the numbers game, headlined by Urho Vaakanainen — who should benefit for steady, top-pairing minutes down the AHL this season. Other youngsters like Jakub Lauko were clearly not advanced enough to hang around with the big boys quite yet, but should earn valuable experience down in Providence.

The three players that set themselves apart, in Cassidy’s eyes?

“I guess (Kyle) Keyser has been a nice – I didn’t know him very well, so nice to see that he looks like he’s ready for pro hockey," he said. "I think (Pavel) Shen has been good. Here’s a guy we didn’t know anything about and weren’t sure how much he would play, if it all, and he’s gone in and done a nice job for us in the middle of the ice for a young player.

“So, you’ve got Keyser, Shen and Lauko is another one. Really young players at the pro level that I thought they acquit themselves very well in NHL exhibition games for young guys. So, I guess maybe that’s the biggest eye opener for me, these young players to be able to go in there and handle it.”