With Danton Heinen, Bruce Cassidy has a 'good problem' to deal with when it comes to Bruins’ lineup

Bruce Cassidy couldn’t have asked for a better start to the unofficial “second half” of the Bruins' 2019-20 regular season. 

Since returning from the league-mandated bye week, Boston has posted four wins in a row, outscoring the competition, 14-3, during that stretch. The additions of youngsters like Jeremy Lauzon, Anton Blidh and Karson Kuhlman to the lineup have provided Cassidy with an embarrassment of riches as far as roster construction goes — giving Boston’s bench boss the chance to light a fire under some regulars in the lineup by way of healthy-scratch designations. 

Sean Kuraly found himself on the outside looking at regular minutes last weekend in Minnesota, when he was benched in favor of other bottom-six options like Blidh and Par Lindholm. 

Kuraly clearly got the message, given that the speedy forward has managed to string together some of his best performances of the season since returning to the lineup. In the two games since Kuraly has joined a third line with Charlie Coyle and Anders Bjork, Boston has held the edge in goals (2-0), shot attempts (28-11) and shots on goal (16-6) during that line’s 17:56 of 5v5 ice time. 

All seems to be going well for Cassidy and the Bruins at the moment, but with Kuraly’s resurgent play — and the continued contributions of Kuhlman and other young guns — comes another issue for the B’s. 



Like Kuraly, Danton Heinen was forced to sit out of last Saturday’s win against the Wild due to injury. He has yet to return to the lineup since then, with Cassidy tabbing the forward’s most recent scratches as “performance-related.”

Heinen is a polarizing figure when it comes to weighing his offensive potential and relative lack of flash against his versatility and established defensive impact. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, there have been 517 players that have logged at least 1,500 minutes of 5v5 ice. Heinen leads all players in 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes during that extended stretch at just 1.47.

Still, Heinen has found himself squeezed out of the lineup over the past week, with wingers like Kuraly and Kuhlman able to inject a bit more speed and O-zone skill into the lineup. While Boston would preferably want to get a regular like Heinen back into game action in short order, Cassidy is in a bit of conundrum — given the current play of Boston’s middle-six forwards during this winning streak. 

Heinen’s current state of limbo can make for some tough conversations between coach and player, but Cassidy isn’t one to shirk away from the tough parts of the gig. 

"For me, it’s honesty,” Cassidy said. “It really is. Today, Danton was here and we went through some shifts. ‘Okay, what is it exactly, coach?’ ‘Here it is.’ Some of the things are pretty straightforward. ‘You’re not getting to the spot here for young guys, here I need you to be’ — you know, teaching. Danton knows those things. For him, it’s a little more competitive on pucks and now you’re showing a guy losing battles. That’s a little more difficult. Players can take either way. 

“So that wasn’t an easy one with him. He’s been a good soldier for us. He’s kind of climbed up from Providence to a cup of coffee here, back to Providence, fourth line and up and played in a tough playoff series last year. There’s a certain amount of loyalty that you hope the coach doesn’t lose with the player, but the player probably feels that. How can you not? So you’ve got to bridge that gap and make sure you keep them on board. That’s the biggest challenge right now.”

Given Boston’s upcoming slate of back-to-back matchups against the Coyotes and Red Wings this weekend, it seems likely that Heinen will be given a shot of earning his spot back in the lineup. But that's easier said than done, especially if guys like Bjork and Kuhlman aren't seeing their play dip during this same stretch. 

"Typically, I'll try to do that by getting them back in the lineup quickly," Cassidy said of his usual plan to keep scratched players engaged. "But I kind of like the way our team — the pace of our team right now with Anders and Kuhly. His competition is less of the Blidhs and (Joakim Nordstroms) and (Chris) Wagners of the world. We move Kuraly up and he has some success, so we’re balancing what’s best for the team and keeping the individual on board and it doesn’t always match. That’s the challenge. That’s my approach, try to lead it head on as much as possible."

Still, for as much as Heinen's current situation might be far from the ideal scenario for the 24-year-old winger, there are plenty of positives that can be drawn from it. For Heinen, this extended benching could be the spark needed for him to capitalize on the minutes handed to him when the next opportunity arises. And for the Bruins and Cassidy, having to shuffle through some talented forwards in Heinen, Kuhlman and others, stoking the flames of that internal competition in the process, could lead to even stronger results from the middle-six — a crucial cog in Boston's forward corps.

“That’s a positive," Cassidy said of having to potentially sit out a strong player. "I’ll always say that — it’s better to have guys that are sitting out that you feel can help you, rather than guys where if they’re sitting out, you’re like, 'Well, even if I change it, we’re no better.' It’s a good problem to have. I’d take it any day of the week, to have guys that are ready to go and we have it on the back end with Johnny Moore — we can use him as an example of the tough conversations — Lauzy comes up and fills in a need for us. Nordy is out now but I’ve had to tell him. Even (Par Lindholm), he’s a great solider. Good player for us. No easy discussions, to be honest with you. You hope that they respect your decision in the end."