NHL Notebook: 7 things we learned from the Bruins preseason and training camp

The Bruins wrapped up the preseason with a 2-2-2 record after Thursday's win over the Rangers in New York. After hoping for some "pleasant surprises" among the multitude of players vying for just a few open roster spots over the last few weeks, Jim Montgomery and the B's got their wish. 

Matt Poitras has been the story of the preseason, leading the way with three goals and two assists in five contests. Behind him, other youngsters like Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei have thrown their hats firmly in the ring for NHL work. 

With a handful of practice days standing between now and the onset of Boston's centennial season on Oct. 11 against Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden, here are nine things we learned from the bulk of training camp and the preseason...

Matt Poitras has a future as a top-six center in the NHL

Coming away from development camp, it might not have been very hard to discern, but I had been beating the drum that of Boston's highest-ceiling center prospects – Poitras, Georgii Merkulov and Brett Harrison – Poitras had the best chance to truly make it (as a center). I originally ranked him as their third-best prospect behind Fabian Lysell and Mason Lohrei, but didn't stick to my guns and put Merkulov at No. 3 and bumped Poitras down a peg. 

Fast forward a few months, and Poitras has all but officially earned himself the right to begin the year in the NHL. The same cannot be said of the other two, although it was expected Harrison (a bit of a project) would need his share of seasoning. 

"Revelation" isn't the right word to use for Poitras because the potential has been there, but I don't think many of us were expecting him to be NHL-ready this quickly. 

The 19-year-old passed every test he was given this preseason. 

Although he got rag-dolled a few times against older, burlier competition, the 5-foot-11, 176-pound Poitras took his lumps and kept battling. He never shied away from battles of Grade-A ice, living up to his calling cards and making things happen in the dangerous areas of the attacking zone with his vision and passing. He's drawn some nice comparisons, whether it be Mitch Marner or David Krejci. 

"He just seems to be in the right spots," Montgomery told reporters Thursday night. "He has the puck a lot because he's always in the right support position, and then when he gets the puck, the poise with the puck is... He's calm beyond his years with the puck."

Poitras improved his game as the preseason went on, playing well no matter who was on his line, and after being knocked once again for not shooting enough, he finished with goals in back-to-back games. When things weren't clicking on a given night, he still found ways to impact the game. 

I would start him between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk to put him in the best position to succeed with skilled wingers, but his line with Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie looked good Thursday. Boston liked what it saw from Frederic-Poitras-Geekie on Thursday, especially on No. 51's tally.

“I think last night, the game-winning goal is a perfect example,” Montgomery said. “Freddie’s a load when he’s moving and he’s going north. I think he’s underrated as far as how skilled he is. But he’s a skilled player that can work in behind you, work through you, and he’s got to get below the tops and that’s what he did on that goal.

“He chipped the puck in, he beat the two defensemen himself. Geekie creates the support, we have the offensive triangle that we like in the O-zone early and then he makes a special play, and Poitras is patient enough as F3 to stay wide open at the net front.”

The B's want to see how he does over the next few practices and scrimmages, but he has earned the right to his nine-game NHL tryout, at the very least. If he can prove he can stick around for the full 82 games, it'll be gravy. What we do know is that the Bruins look like they have a future top-six pivot in the system regardless of if Poitras returns to OHL Guelph or not, which wasn't a sure thing earlier this offseason (pretty convenient considering the losses of Krejci and Patrice Bergeron). 

Mason Lohrei is closer than we thought

The future quickly appeared to be bright with Lohrei over the last few years, just as it did with Poitras. 

Also like Poitras, Lohrei turned plenty of heads this preseason. Rather than automatically shoehorning him into the Providence Bruins lineup for the 2023-24 season, we're now wondering if indeed the 22-year-old does start the season in the AHL, how long will he be there before earning a promotion?

"He's gonna be a big part of our future. The question is if that's Oct. 11 or sometime later this year," Montgomery told TNT's Darren Pang during the Rangers game on Thursday. 

Lohrei's puck-moving ability – sometimes as a one-man breakout – coupled with his skating and hockey sense, has served him well in the pro ranks through September. The questions surrounding his game have come in the defensive zone and with his decision-making, but he still looked the part alongside Brandon Carlo on Thursday night. 

He has anticipated plays very well against stiffer competition as camp has gone on.

The question now is whether or not he makes the opening night roster, and while it might be a cop-out, I can see it going either way.

Lohrei has played well enough to be in the running, at the very least. Right now, there are two schools of thought. Is Lohrei better off being given the freedom to develop with a good helping of all-situations minutes in the AHL without the pressure and expectations of the NHL? Or is he capable of developing on the fly in the NHL? For the latter, he'll likely have to log a primarily defensive role on the second or third pair with little special teams time for the taking.

If the latter were to be a reality, it would put either Matt Grzelcyk or Derek Forbort on the outs. Lohrei and Grzelcyk would be redundant on the NHL roster, but at the same time, the trade market remains horrid. Perhaps movement needs to wait for the trade deadline. 

He doesn't require waivers, which hurts his case from the business decision standpoint. 

Johnny Beecher can contribute this season

Beecher had an outside shot at taking hold of the 4C role entering camp, but he firmly put himself in the mix from the start of the preseason, surpassing Patrick Brown for the inside track. 

The 22-year-old was a more confident player in his second training camp and had a better grasp of what the Bruins would be asking of him. He has all the tools that make an effective bottom-six checker. He's got the size (6-3, 216), the speed, the physicality and the forechecking ability. His 200-foot game is already solid and continues to make strides. I'm not too concerned about his 2-for-9 showing at the dot in what was a quiet night for both him and Brown on Thursday. Entering the game, Beecher had won 60% of his draws in the preseason.

With Frederic set to play on the wing, Pavel Zacha is Boston's only left-handed center. Therefore, Beecher fills a need as well. His line with Milan Lucic and Jakub Lauko has had good returns and would be a load to play against, too. 

So it was definitely interesting to see Beecher on the outside of the top-12 forwards looking in during Friday's practice. Brown, a physical and hard-nosed defensive forward who has been good at the dot in his limited NHL showings. But Brown's skating is seriously lacking, especially when compared to Beecher, who has more upside. The veteran has not outplayed the youngster thus far.

If Beecher goes the way of Marc McLaughlin last season and is sent down because he doesn't require waivers – even though he deserves a spot – then it'll be a shame. He's earned the spot. 

Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov need more time

Two of Boston's most skilled prospects didn't do enough to move the needle during training camp and in their preseason action. 

Merkulov, a shifty playmaker and scorer, had some flashes in his two exhibition contests, and the returns were good for the Bruins when he was on the ice at 5v5. Shot attempts were over 64 percent in Boston's favor, scoring chances were over 61 percent and high-danger chances were over 58 percent. The B's also had a 61.16 percent share of expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. 

Nevertheless, if he wanted to earn work as a winger on the third line, he needed to prove he could have gotten the job done away from the puck as well – he did not. Even with two assists in the two preseason games, Merkulov did not to enough to prove he was ready to take an NHL job. Another big season in the AHL would be important for his development.

As for Lysell, the tools are clearly there, and he remains the most skilled prospect in the system. But it did not translate to game action over the last few weeks. He did not produce and seemed to be fighting it at times, struggling to contain his frustration at various points in Philadelphia on Monday. The Bruins were also vastly outplayed with him on the ice at 5v5. 

“Lysell’s had moments when he’s been good. He’s had moments when he’s struggled,” Montgomery said earlier this week. “He’s drafted to be a skilled offensive player. In order to be a skilled offensive player, you’ve got to produce. We haven’t seen the production yet.”

I'm not about to wave the "bust" banner for Lysell just yet. One bad camp does not make a career, and it's worth noting that a concussion limited Lysell's ability to train this offseason. 

But this is still a crucial year for his development, and how he responds to a poor training camp will be telling. If he can return to being a top-flight AHL forward like he was in the first half of last season, it will be immensely encouraging. 

It might not be a seamless transition for Morgan Geekie and Kevin Shattenkirk

I'll start this off by saying that I believe Geekie and Shattenkirk will end up being fine, but I get the concern, especially considering we've been predicting Geekie to be this season's breakout candidate.

Neither had the best preseason, although Geekie had his best game of the exhibition slate on Thursday night, performing better on the wing than he had at center to this point. Meanwhile, Shattenkirk appeared to be shaking off rust early on. It seems both are now going through the paces of adjusting to entirely new systems.

Seattle and Anaheim utilized man-to-man defensive zone coverage, while Montgomery and the Bruins play more of a zone style. 

"We want them to get their reads down, react quickly, so it becomes seamless," Montgomery said Friday. "That's why today we did two D-zone drills. We're trying to put them in those situations where it becomes muscle memory and you're not thinking, so we can close and kill plays quicker as a team."

For Geekie, the shift to wing might make it an easier transition for the time being, and it would also give the Bruins some insurance down the middle for a potential line with Poitras, although they do not see the latter as a winger.

"He's played wing before, in Carolina and last year, he played a handful to 10 games with Seattle on the wing, and I thought he acclimated really well," Montgomery said of Geekie. "The benefit of having him with Poitras is we have two centers. Both smart hockey players, and whoever's low can play low. Probably a little less taxing on both of them."

Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle appear ready for increased responsibility

At least through the preseason, Zacha and Coyle handled their bigger roles well for the most part. 

Zacha tallied three assists in three exhibition games, and his line with David Pastrnak and James van Riemsdyk seemed to find a connection as things wore on in camp, especially against Washington on Tuesday. 

Perhaps one of the biggest areas he can take a step is on the power play, where his role as a left-shot in the "bumper" creates a new look for the Bruins, one they're hoping adds a little more "unpredictability." Either way, Zacha, who showed well with 10 points in 12 games when he filled in for Krejci at 2C last season, feels ready for the challenge, considering he is a natural center.

"I think I was always a little bit more of a center, you know, growing up and stuff like that. Last year, I got a chance to play at the end of the season and some playoff games, and I just felt comfortable," Zacha told BSJ last week. "So, I'm happy that I get a chance to play there this year and get even better than I ended up with last year."

Judging by Thursday and Friday's lines, it seems Coyle will start off in the top-six group, while Poitras could see work as 3C. Part of that is how well Poitras played between Frederic and Geekie, while another part is how strong Coyle looked in the top-six on Thursday, bringing the intensity and playing to his typical puck-protection strengths.

"I mean it's an opportunity that's available, and I'm ready for it," Coyle said last week. "I've been working towards this my whole career and wanted to play in a role of this caliber. You always want to prove your game. You want to be a guy who can be reliable in all situations. That's what I pride myself on, and I want to keep showing that and improving. We all want to play well. We all want to play more minutes, and that's something I'm looking forward to, to work towards and just be a better player for this team because I know I can and I want to."

Depth competition could continue into the season

There are still some decisions that need to be made regarding the depths of the lineup.

Ian Mitchell has played well enough to earn the 7D spot over Jakub Zboril. Mitchell's being right-handed also puts him in a position to take some time from Shattenkirk on the third pair if the veteran's slow adjustment continues into the season. Waivers will always create headaches, but if Mitchell were to falter or if there were to be an injury, the likes of Zboril and Lohrei could be right there knocking on the door. 

So far, Danton Heinen has been better than Jesper Boqvist, especially in game action, as the two likely vie for the 13th forward spot. The latter is younger and more fleet of foot but hasn't put his tools together in his preseason showings. Heinen has had good showings at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. He showed well offensively against the Flyers last season, finding a soft spot in the slot for his goal before nearly burying the game-winner on a 2-on-1 late. 

“He’s had a good camp, and again, camp’s not over,” Montgomery said this week. “I know what Danton Heinen is. I know what he brings.”

Even if Heinen doesn't break camp with the varsity, I'd expect him to earn a two-way deal and play in Providence, providing cheap, safe and versatile depth. It would be a great disservice to the player to cut him loose at this point with little prospect of finding work elsewhere.

No matter who rounds out the bottom of the forward group, there is no shortage of forwards who could hope to put themselves in position for promotions, pending injuries or poor play. Whether it be Heinen, Lauko (I expect both to make the roster), Boqvist, A.J. Greer, Marc McLaughlin, Jayson Megna and others, the Bruins have plenty of versatile forwards in the system who can play NHL minutes and push for jobs either due to injuries or poor play performance on the varsity.  

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Some notes from the Board of Governors meetings

• The tea leaves haven't been hard to read on the salary cap front for the last few months, after one more season of pain and cap crunch, it looks like we're headed for a nice spike in the 2024 offseason – somewhere in the $4 million neighborhood to bring the ceiling around $87.5 million. Gary Bettman hammered home the point that it's a "very preliminary" figure, according to Elliotte Friedman.
• Expansion and relocation talk has heated up once again in recent months as well. Atlanta suddenly seems back in the fold, along with the usual suspects like Quebec City along with a newcomer that's been gaining plenty of steam, Salt Lake City. They'll have a new rink from hosting the Winter Olympics in 2030 or 2034. Bettman told reporters: "We're not in a mode where I'm saying, 'OK, if you're interested in expansion, submit your applications. We’re not there. We're just getting expressions of interest. And as you all know, I take meetings all the time on a variety of subjects, and if somebody wants to talk to us, we talk to them. If somebody came in and said, 'OK, we have a building, this is our market, this is our ownership group, we’d really like to go.' Then we'll take a look at it and decide whether we're inclined to expand at this point in time."
• We can prepare ourselves all we want, but the expansion fee for whoever is next will still be jaw-dropping after Vegas was $500 million before Seattle at $650 million and Ottawa sold for a cool $950 million. Anyone got a billion lying around? 
• The "world complexities" *cough – Russia* are still the fly in the ointment of the World Cup and any international best-on-best competition. It needs to happen in 2025. It just does. Figure it out. Bettman: "We're focused on wanting to do something, hopefully we will. And we're still working (on) the Olympics. I know the players want to go. We want to go, but the IIHF and the IOC have to make that a possibility and a reality.”