Bruins are taking shape… or are they?

One of the possibilities the late, great Pat Burns stressed during a Boston Bruins training camp of his 1997-2000 tenure was the difference between an opening-night roster and what the team will look like in a month. Training camp goes into the season, he instructed us.

Yes, new coach Marco Sturm has separated his two practice groups, apparently according to some combination of where he thinks those players will play (NHL vs. AHL) and, let’s not be naive, the messages he wants to send.

I’m not making assertions with the statements about to follow, but I have to entertain the following possibilities:

• Max Wanner was told upon his assignment to the Bruins’ AHL camp that he’s doing well and that defensemen need more time to develop before they can be winning players in the NHL. In other words, Wanner, the rare Estevan (Saskatchewan) Bruin of this era, a former seventh-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers acquired by GM Don Sweeney in the March 4 Trent Frederic/Max Jones trade that netted the Bruins second and fourth-round picks, will grow his right-shot game in Providence.
• RW Fabian Lysell, for instance, was not included in the first wave of player assignments announced on Sunday morning, But he is practicing with the AHL-ish unit. That’s a message, as in the Bruins have seen improvement from the former first-round pick, but they want to see more. The roster for the Flyers-Bruins rematch (7 pm Monday at TD Garden, NESN, 98.5) won’t be announced until sometime tomorrow.
• Matej Blumel seems to be getting featured opportunities to use his heavy shot while playing alongside veteran regulars. His only goal was an open-side redirect – credit for going to the net. But one wonders how the pundits would have reacted had the spectacular goal scored early in camp by Patrick Brown been buried by Blumel or Lysell for that matter. Very low on the radar, former Cornell star Dalton Bancroft, who will turn 25 near the end of February, scored two impressive goals in Boston’s comeback win Saturday in Philadelphia. Imagine the hype had Blumel put those biscuits in the basket. Ditto Jeffrey Viel’s move in the third period for the eventual GWG.
• By the way, Georgii Merkulov absolutely earned a second look with his performance in that game. It has been stated here that Merkulov seems to lack the kind of speed that could mitigate his size-strength disadvantages against NHL competition and that his only pathway to the bigs would have to be through special teams. But it was Merk who made the plays that ignited that extended pressure, turning the game in Philadelphia. For such a team guy and dedicated professional, I thought we’d seen Merkulov’s upside. What if there is more in there? Bruins management would love such a development (no pun intended).
• Sturm has been skating Matt Poitras on right wing in practice. This has to be a test of some sort, perhaps of Poitras’ resolve, of his ability to put his best out there regardless of the situation. I really think the Bruins are trying to get answers on the Poitras front. The stress he feels bumping elbows with bigger guys along the walls in the preseason is nothing compared to what’s going to happen should he suddenly face an elite, matchup defender in a real NHL game. I don’t think Poitras is suited to play wing, so I’m trying to find reason in this deployment. If he somehow makes the line chart Monday night on the RW, then Rink Rap will be watching intently to see what message Poitras sends back to management. At the end of the day, he is a centerman. Fraser Minten is a horse of a different color (and size). He’s getting a long look at third-line center, which is the beginning of Bruins management trying to locate Minten’s 2025-26, age-21 upside. I think the Bruins want Poitras to make the team and play third-line center, and to that end would slide Minten to the left wing, where they have no doubt Minten would help win some D-zone faceoffs and offer a general sense of structure and integral defensive play.
• Dom Tiano’s salary-cap update includes a very user-friendly breakout of the Bruins’ varsity cap situation, depth chart, probable AHL roster, reserve list (including NCAA players whose rights they hold). This is really useful, whether you agree with Dom’s decisions or not.
• Daily Faceoff also has Blumel making the team and Minten(!) and Poitras in Providence. But, again, great source.