With the NHL trade deadline still five weeks away, the Bruins still have a ways to go before outside help potentially alleviates their secondary-scoring issues on the wing.
Still, whether it be middle-six regulars like Jake DeBrusk or even fourth-line cogs like Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly, there's been a lot left to be desired from forwards that Bruce Cassidy and the B's were counting on to help spark their respective lines this season.
Sunday's win over the Rangers saw the Bruins dip deeper down into their depth chart in order to send a message — with both Greg McKegg and Karson Kuhlman earning starts over Anders Bjork and Wagner — but if these scoring droughts and inconsistent play continue to linger, could Boston turn to Providence in search of talent with a potential higher ceiling?
While some youngsters off to hot starts like Jakub Lauko and Samuel Asselin likely need a bit more seasoning down in the AHL ranks, it's hard not to look at the overall body of work that Zach Senyshyn has compiled down in Providence this season and wonder when the 2015 first-round pick is going to get his chance.
Even though he'll likely never be the deadly sniper he was down in the OHL — where he posted a pair of 40-goal campaigns with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds — Senyshyn's skillset does translate up to the NHL level, with the winger's strong frame, plus skating ability and straight-line game making him a natural fit on a team's bottom-six grouping.
So far, he's yet to receive a call from Boston, but Senyshyn hasn't let other Providence products like Trent Frederic leapfrogging him on the prospect pipeline hamper his play on the ice.
“(His attitude has) been outstanding,” Providence head coach Jay Leach said of Senyshyn earlier this year. “I think he had a really good offseason, he went to work. He changed up his group that he works out with up in Ottawa, I think he really put a focus and emphasis on getting stronger, wanting to finish around the net. And like any of us, he’s matured. He’s a bit older. I’m sure there’s frustration if other guys are up there in front of him, but I can’t say I’ve seen much of that here with Seny. I think all I’ve seen is a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of effort and I think his mindset — and again, I don’t want to speak for him — but my take is that he’s just waiting for his opportunity.
“He’s certainly come a long way, he’s always had that attitude with us. I think over time we’ve certainly really grown to appreciate Seny and his attitude and certainly are rooting for him. We’re excited for him to play tomorrow and get going and hopefully climb that ladder.”
Through eight games with the Baby B's, Senyshyn has tallied four goals and seven total points — generating scoring chances both off the rush and as a byproduct of effective forechecking shifts. The latter has been sorely missed in Boston's lineup, especially on a slumping fourth line.
https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1366818546144133126
Of course, there's a big gap between piling on points in the AHL and becoming an effective contributor in the NHL (remember Seth Griffith?), but even when Senyshyn has earned sparing minutes up with the B's, the results have been pretty encouraging. Back in November 2019, Senyshyn temporarily filled in on Charlie Coyle's line, with Boston hoping that the speedy winger would complement the puck-possession prowess that its 3C regularly provides by winning pucks back and causing turnovers on the forecheck.
Such was the case, as Boston generated a 61.54% shot share and outscored its opponents, 2-0, during the 16:22 of 5v5 ice time that Coyle and Senyshyn logged together. Unfortunately, an injury knocked Senyshyn out of the lineup that month — and he has yet to earn another look up in the NHL since.
"Well, typically a call-up is an injury or you're unhappy with certain players, right? So the other day we put in Kuhlman who's been on the taxi squad and because we want to make a change and sort of say, 'Hey, it's not automatic that you're gonna be in there every night'. So that was the situation the other night," Cassidy said of Boston's recent lineup shuffles and Senyshyn's status. "Sometimes guys have gone in out of necessity, So for Zach, he's got to worry about just playing his best hockey every night. And sounds like he is. I know that he's scoring there, which is great.
"He's a guy that scored in junior. Some guys have to learn to change their game once they get to pro because they may not have those opportunities to score as much. I think he's worked really hard in that part of it. I've said it all along, every time he's been used up here I think he's played fine. Unfortunately he got hurt the last time. And so we never got that extended look at him, but that's hockey, sometimes. You know, you get some breaks. And other times you got to keep working for your break. So I suspect at some point, if he continues to play that way, we will get a look. I can't predict the future. so hopefully he continues to play well."
At this point, the only thing that might preclude Boston from recalling Senyshyn is the fact that the B's would need to expose him to waivers if they want to send him back down to Providence at a later date. But at this point, with the winger exceeding at his current level of competition — and currently on a one-year contract — the Bruins need to find out what they have in Senyshyn sooner or later. And with so many wingers still not pulling their weight up with Boston, you can't really do much worse than what you're saddled with at this current moment, not with these NHLers playing at their current level.
"We'll see how it all plays out," Cassidy said. "But we certainly haven't forgotten about Zach. And we're glad that he's playing well down there. That's what it takes for him. ... You need to be playing well down there at your position and he's done his part so far, from what I understand."
Tinordi drives north
The last couple of days have been a whirlwind for Jarred Tinordi, to say the least. The veteran defenseman, who had spent the previous two-and-a-half seasons in the Predators organization, only received a 30-minute heads up before he was placed on waivers last Friday. Just a day later, Tinordi found out that Boston scooped him up on the waiver wire. That rush of excitement quickly turned to urgency — he had to make it up to Boston ASAP.
Had this been a normal season, Tinordi would have hopped on the next flight up to Boston and dealt with the finer details later. But in the time of COVID, there are additional complications. Had he ended up flying, Tinordi would have been subjected to a longer quarantine period before getting the clearance to practice with his new club. So instead, he hopped in his car and drove the 17 hours up from Nashville to Boston.
"I was under the impression that I'd have to do like a three-day quarantine or something," Tinordi said. "It would depend on my test results with being on an airplane. But I think just with the schedule and the way things kind of lined up, I think driving just made the most sense for me. I split it up into two days and got here the day that they played in New York. So I had an off day to kind of get settled and then right into practice the next day."
It's far from the ideal situation, but Tinordi found ways to pass the time.
"Yeah, make a few phone calls," he said. "I think that's a great time to really catch up with people, you're sitting there not doing anything anyway. So you can kind of keep in touch with people that way. But I like podcasts, music a little bit here and there. But mainly podcasts are kind of passing the bulk of the time, listening to a podcast, you kind of zone into it. And time seems to fly by."
With Kevan Miller still out of commission, it seems as though Tinordi is the next man up when it comes to filling in as the physical big-bodied presence on Boston's blue line. Joining a new club does have some drawbacks, as Tinordi's wife and daughter are remaining in Nashville while he completes this campaign up with the B's, but going from the waiver wire to a team like the Bruins still represents a massive coup for Tinordi as he looks to continue his pro career.
"It was a little bit of a shock, a little bit of a whirlwind, kind of figuring things out, then I get the call at noon the next day that that Boston picked me up. And then right away, I got excited. I got family back in Nashville, my wife and a daughter there and it's tough leaving them, but it's another opportunity," Tinordi said. "It's another opportunity to show when you can do in this league, especially joining a team like Boston. I mean, I don't think it could have been a better situation to come in here. And I want to help this group and help this group win."
Ovechkin fined for spear on Frederic
Matching penalties might have been assessed on Wednesday night after Alex Ovechkin hit Trent Frederic below the belt with his stick (Frederic was whistled for a cross-check on the sequence), but the Capitals star paid for the infraction again on Thursday morning — this time with his wallet.
OUCH. pic.twitter.com/5tqSrGFaAi
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 4, 2021
