Ryan: How do Bruins manage to stay afloat if Brad Marchand is sidelined for an extended stretch?

Even if Bruce Cassidy categorized Brad Marchand as “day to day” on Friday morning — even ruling him out for a week or so — it likely would have been viewed as good news to many Bruins fans, considering the optics of what transpired the previous night. 

But fourteen-plus hours after Boston’s top forward crashed shoulder-first into the TD Garden boards via a cheap hit from Garnet Hathaway — the B’s bench boss had little in terms of updates for both Marchand and Anton Blidh, also felled off of a thunderous check from Tom Wilson.

"They'll both be out (Saturday),” Cassidy said of Marchand and Blidh. “See how they are for next week. I'll probably give you a better idea after a couple of days, but neither one will play tomorrow."

While no definite timeline was confirmed, considering Marchand could barely lift his arm shortly after taking that pummeling — it’s only fair to assume that the 33-year-old forward is going to be on the shelf for some time.

"Brad's gonna miss a little bit of time,” Cassidy acknowledged later during Friday’s Zoom availability.

Even if Marchand is back on the ice by, say, mid to late February, losing an offensive conduit like him is a devastating hit for the Bruins team that — even with more secondary scoring breaking through lately — still relies heavily on the left wing to serve as an O-zone cheat code in critical situations.

So how do the Bruins replace Marchand? Well, you can’t. 

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…. Alright, maybe that wording is wrong.

How can the Bruins manage to stay afloat with Marchand out of commission?

It’s going to take a lot of buy-in — and a lot of guys all pulling on the same rope.

“I think the mentality has to be you can't be Brad Marchand — he plays in every situation,” Cassidy said. “He's an elite player in this league. Lots of accolades surround him. So just go and be the best version of yourself with those minutes.”

So what needs to happen for the B’s in the coming weeks? Let’s take a look. 

Jake DeBrusk embraces top-line role

If Jake DeBrusk had his way, he’d likely be suiting up in another sweater by now — close to two months after his trade request went public.

The Bruins, in a perfect situation, would likely also want this saga to be over with. But so far, Don Sweeney and Co. have yet to find a proper suitor — or at least received an offer that falls in line with what they believe DeBrusk provides in terms of value.

And now, with Marchand on the shelf, it doesn’t look like DeBrusk is going anywhere for at least another few weeks — as the 25-year-old forward is slated to step into Marchand’s place on Boston’s top line with Patrice Bergeron and Craig Smith.

DeBrusk doesn’t possess Marchand’s O-zone playmaking talents and strength with the puck on his stick, but the disgruntled forward sure made the most of his new opportunity on Thursday night — getting credited for a Caps own goal in the third period before setting up Charlie McAvoy’s game-winner with just 45 seconds left in regulation.

“He was flying,” McAvoy said of DeBrusk’s play on Thursday. “He was all over the ice. ... All night, it seemed like he was really pushing the pace. When he has his legs, he's a very dangerous player. He's the fastest guy on the ice, pretty much any given night. So to see him make that play to me, throw that one on net, good things happen. And, we're always cheering for him. And when he pulls the rope, we're a much better team.”

DeBrusk has only sparingly logged minutes with Bergeron over the years — some of that a byproduct of Marchand rarely missing extended stretches of games, along with Hall’s arrival last spring.

But in the 108:15 of 5v5 ice time that DeBrusk + Bergeron have logged from 2018-2020, the Bruins were still an effective scoring threat, outscoring opponents, 6-4, during that stretch. 

Adding an engaged (and hopefully motivated) DeBrusk to a cycle-heavy top line with Bergeron and Smith could lead to some solid looks for the left wing — even if he’d be tasked as more of a finisher than Marchand’s usual role as a slippery set-up man.  

For Cassidy, the primary challenge for DeBrusk won’t necessarily be chipping in offensively — but rather holding his own down the other end of the ice against some pretty daunting matchups. 

“When Marsh goes out, Jake certainly has elements to bring offense.  ... Jake did a good job replacing the offensive part of it,” Cassidy said. “Had some plays, made a nice play on the power play.

“Obviously, wasn't with Bergeron's group — the second unit did a good job finding the open man on the entry. The ask for him — now you're playing against the other team's top pair a lot of times or at least top-four, playing against good players. So make sure your defensive habits aren't lost and contribute offensively. So he'll get his opportunity. And hopefully, it works out well for us.”

DeBrusk’s ability to contribute to that top line and keep it humming along — keeping Boston’s other top-six unit intact in the process — stands as perhaps the most pressing question mark when it comes to the daunting endeavor of replacing Marchand for the time being. 

And if it works out, not only will the Bruins stay afloat in the standings — but it should significantly boost DeBrusk’s trade value as a potential top-six target to other clubs.

Sure sounds like a win-win for all involved. 

In the second line we trust?

While bumping up another uber-skilled, playmaking winger like Taylor Hall seems to make the most sense in wake of Marchand’s injury, Cassidy and the Bruins are sticking with the “if it ain’t broke” mantra when it comes to that fleet-footed second line of Hall, Erik Haula and David Pastrnak.

As unconventional as Haula might be as a long-term solution at 2C — the veteran journeyman’s pace has allowed both Hall and Pastrnak to shift into a higher gear on the ice, leaving many flat-footed defenders in the dust. 

Thursday stood as just the latest example of this revamped trio’s home-run potential on the rush — with Hall feeding a puck through the slot to Pastrnak for an easy wrister into twine. 

Hall’s passing prowess will especially come in handy on the power play — with Cassidy noting that the veteran forward will likely replace Marchand on the half wall as a primary playmaker. Sure seems like a better fit for Hall than his old PP1 spot as a netfront option. 

As tempting as it might be to swap Hall and DeBrusk if that first line’s offensive traction starts to skid — Cassidy would be wise to keep this second line entrenched for the time being, because it sure seems like all three forwards are finally starting to hit their stride.

"I think it's been going well,” Pastrnak said of his linemates. “We're getting a little better chemistry in practice. Obviously, they're both high-skill players and they can make plays. We always know what kind of player Taylor is — he's a great skater and has a ton of skill. So for us, it's been going well, we want to get better. … It’s been fun."

Charlie Coyle - triggerman?

 For most of the last three weeks, there haven’t been many faults present in Boston’s forward corps.

The Marchand-Bergeron-Smith line was still getting the better of some imposing matchups thanks to an unforgiving forechecking and cycle game.

The Hall-Haula-Pastrnak line … we covered above.

And even a ragtag fourth line of Blidh-Nosek-Lazar was inflicting welts against opponents — and burying the looks that presented themselves in Grade-A ice.

But the third line — featuring Charlie Coyle down the middle … was still leaving a lot to be desired.  

Even though Coyle’s production during his time as 2C was rather encouraging this season (16 points in 28 games), the rationale behind slotting the Weymouth native further down the lineup made plenty of sense — with the puck-possession pivot fully capable of getting the better of matchups further down the depth chart.

But so far, that hasn’t been the case — with Coyle held off the scoresheet for the past nine games. 

Of course, some of that has been a byproduct of a rotating cast of wingers to his left and right. But Coyle hasn’t exactly been handed spare parts either — with Oskar Steen showing flashes at various points during his recent call-up.

A strong response from Steen after watching Thursday’s game from the ninth floor of the Garden would help that third line get rolling — but the B’s would also be better served if Coyle starts adopting more of a shot-first mentality for the time being, rather than playing keep-away with the puck and waiting for a Grade-A scoring chance to develop.

Coyle serving as the triggerman on his line is often a reluctant role for the center (he has just eight shots on goal during his nine-game scoring drought). But when he’s been playing at his best (such as the 2019 Cup run), Coyle is usually the one lighting the lamp the most on his line. 

Coyle will likely see his special-teams reps increase significantly on both the power play and penalty kill with Marchand out, but when it comes to 5v5 scoring — the onus will fall on Coyle to start taking the initiative when the shooting lanes are there. 

“When you lose a player like Brad Marchand who is probably the best left winger in the game — what he brings to our team, not only as a player, but leadership wise — every guy wants to step up because of the way he steps up for us every night,” Nick Foligno said. “So I think that's what you saw last night in the group ... It's what this team does well. It seems like we've always had that next-man-up mentality. And we're going to need that to replace a guy like Brad for — I'm sure it won't be too long with the way his mindset is. “

Keeping Grzelcyk-McAvoy together 

No surprise here — but if the Bruins intend to keep its 5v5 offense rolling with Marchand out, both Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are likely going to be sticking together for the foreseeable future on Boston’s top D pairing. 

As we’ve noted time and time again, the Bruins are a 5v5 buzzsaw when both McAvoy and Grzelcyk are pushing the puck up the ice and extending O-zone possessions — and the 2021-22 campaign has been no different, with Boston outscoring opponents, 20-9, in their 267 minutes of 5v5 ice time together.

With DeBrusk still a bit of a question mark on that top line, expect Grzelcyk+McAvoy to earn plenty of reps with that unit — especially with both BU blueliners on a bit of a heater since the calendar flipped to 2022 (19 combined points over nine games).

Catch a break with the schedule 

The Bruins might be in a sprint to the finish line when it comes to the regular season and the 45 games that need to be played between now and the end of April — but if there was ever a time for Marchand to miss a few weeks, this would have to be it.

Even though the Bruins will be playing for most of February now that the NHL has pulled out of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the B’s will still benefit from a break due to the All-Star festivities — with Boston not playing any games from Feb. 2 - 7.

In total, the Bruins are only playing six games over a 19-day stretch — and of those six opponents, only two are currently in the playoff picture in Anaheim and the Avalanche (gulp).  

No, you can’t replace Marchand’s production, leadership or versatility — not with just a player or two.

But in the short-term, the B’s do have enough resources available to patch up their hull and keep this ship afloat during the rough stretch of sea that rests on the horizon. 

Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick, HockeyViz and JFreshHockey.