With Brad Marchand set to return, how will Bruce Cassidy reshuffle Bruins’ lineup?

Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins have a great problem on their hands when it comes to their lineup.

To the surprise of just about no one, the Bruins are a much, much better team when Brad Marchand is in the lineup. And with his six-game suspension finally elapsed, the Bruins will welcome Marchand’s O-zone capabilities and two-way skill on the ice once again.

But with Marchand’s return comes the challenge of retooling a B’s lineup that, even with the tough sledding that this recent 3-2-1 stretch featured, showcased some promising returns when Cassidy was forced to juggle his forward corps.

Conventional thinking would have Cassidy simply roll with his previous top-six configuration of ...

Marchand-Bergeron-Smith
Hall-Haula-Pastrnak 

… in order to achieve the balanced scoring that the B’s relished for most of their scorching stretch through the first few weeks of January.

But that switcheroo becomes a bit more complicated with Craig Smith appearing to settle into a regular role on an intriguing third-line configuration with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic.

Granted, this Frederic-Coyle-Smith trio hasn’t exactly lit up the scoresheet over the last few weeks. But the simple eye test does paint the picture of a big-bodied, puck-possession line that could wear down matchups come the postseason.

Even though they didn’t figure in the scoring, a physical shift from this Coyle line helped orchestrate David Pastrnak’s opening tally during Monday’s win over the Avalanche, with Boston eventually pouncing against a group of Avs skaters running on fumes. 

“Those are the guys that made it all happen,” Cassidy said postgame. “The D couldn't get out of their end. They're fatigued, we go in, we forecheck, create a turnover. The D does a good job keeping the puck alive, and they're very good at that. Had some good looks — Freddy had a point-blanker again, and hopefully they'll start going in for them, because you don't want them to get away from what they're doing. Usually, the more you get rewarded, the more you'll stick with it. So hopefully, that's kind of their mindset.”

When you factor in the improved play of Frederic in that middle-six role and the potential for more scoring pop when Smith finally starts to see some of these Grade-A looks sail into twine, it’s easy to see why Cassidy might be hesitant to split up the 11-12-13 line (anyone have a good name for this trio? The Succession Line?)

"We'd like to keep that (line) together — someone's going to be probably a little bit unhappy,” Cassidy said. “Someone's gonna have to get moved around. It's just the way it is. So we'll sort through that when we practice Wednesday in Seattle and put the best plan together as possible.”

So, if Smith isn’t moving off that third line and the Bruins want to keep Pastrnak and Hall together in order to keep the latter engaged in the O-zone, who slots into the top line next to Patrice Bergeron and Marchand?

There should be plenty of potential candidates for such a coveted spot in Boston’s lineup, but who is the best fit?

Jake DeBrusk

At first glance, this sure seems to be the type of move that could benefit all parties.

For Boston, DeBrusk is a north-south skater with a hot hand (two goals in his last two games) that could benefit from even more of a scoring spark if planted on a line next to Bergeron and Marchand. 

For DeBrusk, whose trade request from late November is still in place, earning a first-line opportunity stands as a fantastic avenue to raise his stock and attract more suitors ahead of the March 21 trade deadline. 

If a few weeks next to Marchand and Bergeron allows DeBrusk to pump up his baseline numbers and allows Boston to eventually deal him for a solid return, everyone wins.

And even though DeBrusk hasn’t earned a significant amount of reps with Marchand and Bergeron over the years (56:25 of 5v5 ice time between 2018-20), I’ll share this tweet ONCE again when it comes to just how much of a lift playing with 63+37 can be. 

Still, there is some risk involved with bumping DeBrusk out of his current spot in the lineup. 

Even though DeBrusk likely isn’t keen on skating on a checking line, the 25-year-old winger does seem to be finding some traction next to Tomas Nosek and Curtis Lazar, and the B’s could be hesitant about splitting up what has been a solid partnership over the last few games.

Slotting up DeBrusk would also mean moving him over to his weak side at right wing. Yes, DeBrusk will also have plenty of help on that line with Marchand and Bergeron, but the returns when DeBrusk has been moved to the right side have been largely underwhelming over the years, even when paired with playmaking talents such as David Krejci.

DeBrusk might offer the highest ceiling among the B’s list of in-house candidates to slot up to that top line, but it’s far from a foregone conclusion that DeBrusk capitalizes on said opportunity.

Jesper Froden

Honestly, if you were to ask me which Bruins prospect should warrant a look on that top line, I’d go with Oskar Steen, especially after the promising returns he put forth last month.

But based on Boston’s roster moves on Tuesday, it looks as though the Bruins are going to give Froden a look first — with the 27-year-old Swede putting together a strong first season in Providence (27 points in 37 games). 

“Froden, kind of like we saw in training camp, he's a skilled player, can play in traffic, make plays, complement good players,” Cassidy said of Froden back in December.

He may not be the flashiest player to get thrown into the mix, and it might disappoint fans that might be looking for a younger player like Steen or Jack Studnicka (who was assigned to Providence on Tuesday) to earn a look, but Froden is a solid pro (turned 27 back in September) that could compliment an already strong line. 

Nick Foligno

Would Foligno getting bumped up to the top line come as a surprise? Not really.

The veteran winger desperately needs to get going, and perhaps slotting him with all-world talents like Marchand and Bergeron is what gets him going offensively.

But when it comes to getting the most out of this latest lineup reshuffle, it remains to be seen if Foligno gives you the best possible option next to 63+37.

Among the 590 NHLers this season that have logged 300 minutes of 5v5 ice time this season, Foligno ranks 403rd overall with a points per 60 minutes rate of 0.97. 

Maybe it's worth a shot to try and recoup some of Foligno's on-ice value, but there should be some skepticism here. 

Stick with the old system? Or add another piece?

Of course, the Bruins could very well go with the “If it ain’t broke” mantra when it comes this lineup, and either reunite the 63-37-88 line or bump Smith back up to the top line. In the short term, Cassidy could turn to this option, especially if the offense starts to stagnate a bit. 

However, if Smith continues to gell with Coyle + Frederic and Hall continues to thrive with Pastrnak as a linemate, perhaps this opens the door for Boston to look at upgrading their wing depth at the deadline with a piece like Conor Garland, Brock Boeser or Connor Brown.

Granted, the Bruins likely only pursue such a player if they’re confident they don’t need to upgrade down the middle. And even though Erik Haula has been solid between Hall and Pastrnak, I still think there’s a fair bit of skepticism that Boston can enter the postseason with such a second-line configuration.

Who knew the return of Marchand was going to create such a headache for the Bruins? They’ll certainly take such a lineup crunch if it means No. 63 is back in the fold, but there are a lot of factors in play when it comes to solving the Rubik's Cube that is this B’s forward corps.