Boston Bruins 24-25 Roster/Cap thread V

[MarchysNoseKnows]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834962221044052411

Great summer for Sweeney, Gold and Co.

Sure if you give Carlo a C+ I guess. That’s ludicrous.

 

[SwayHeyKid]

Sure if you give Carlo a C+ I guess. That’s ludicrous.

Seems fake?

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Seems fake?

No I know the model they use it’s just sketchy. I never pay much attention when they try to convert it to contracts.

 

[wintersej]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1834962221044052411

Great summer for Sweeney, Gold and Co.

I’m old enough to remember when that publication gave the Hampus Lindholm contract an F.

Edit: I just think it’s so hard for those models to account for putting the players in a position to succeed and the Bruins have done a real good job with that in recent years.

 

[Shroud of Orrin]

I wonder if Don has had any civilized discussions with other GM's who truly do have more than idle interest in Swayman and would make a hockey deal to lock him up long term? Someone out west who's kind of nuts like, I don't know...maybe, crazy Bill Armstrong...

 

[JoeIsAStud]

I wonder if Don has had any civilized discussions with other GM's who truly do have more than idle interest in Swayman and would make a hockey deal to lock him up long term? Someone out west who's kind of nuts like, I don't know...maybe, crazy Bill Armstrong...

I would seriously doubt it, Sweeney has never been the panicky type, and Utah doesn't have a goalie to send back to Boston.

 

[Shroud of Orrin]

I would seriously doubt it, Sweeney has never been the panicky type, and Utah doesn't have a goalie to send back to Boston.

Conner “Tim Thomas” Ingram lol

 

[Gee Wally]

It looks like they’re trying to put together a modern-day version of the Big Bad Bruins - The Boston Globe

Being hard to play against throughout an 82-game season is a necessity. It’s on the postseason stage, however, where size, muscle, and grit are the most important ingredients to advance.

www.bostonglobe.com

Charlie McAvoy is a big deal.
A solidly built 6 feet 1 inch and 210 pounds, McAvoy is one of the NHL’s most complete defenders: a swift skater with good vision and anticipation. He plays a physical game and dishes out punishing body checks.
And yet he’s the smallest member of the Bruins’ projected defensive corps.
“I wasn’t going to say it, but I knew it right away. Someone said it to me and I’m like, ‘I don’t think you’re wrong,’ " McAvoy said with a laugh following a recent captain’s practice. “It’s good to have size. I think you’re seeing a little bit of the makeup of a lot of the good teams in the league, and the size helps obviously. I think the skating ability, you’ve got to be big, but you’ve got to be able to move, and I think we have that. I think we have a lot of dynamic defensemen.”

The Bruins put a premium on size during their offseason overhaul. According to eliteprospects.com, the Bruins are the only team in the league whose roster averages 6 feet 3 inches. They also are the NHL’s heaviest team at an average of 208 pounds.

“Look at our D corps — a lot of horses there, so it’s exciting,” said Nikita Zadorov, the biggest of the backline bruisers at 6-6, 248 pounds. “I feel like I’ve been playing in the West for the past nine years and the West has always been big and physical and strong, and now I feel like the East is kinding of trending that way, as well.”

Being hard to play against throughout an 82-game season is a necessity to be able to punch a ticket to the playoffs. It’s on the postseason stage, however, where size, muscle, and grit are the most important ingredients to advance.

No sandpaper, no survival.

The dirty areas, specifically along the walls, in the corners, and that most-coveted stretch of ice right in front of the net, are where players (and teams) need to show strength, stoutheartedness, and savvy in order to win the hardest battles in sports.

“I think last year we became a little bit more of a forechecking team than we were two years ago, and I think we’ve got to wait and see exactly what our strengths are, of the individual players and their roles that best support our team identity,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “But I do imagine us trying to be a heavy down-low offensive hockey team and then also being heavy down low in our own end and killing plays and getting out.”

The Panthers, who will raise the first championship banner in franchise history Oct. 8 (with the Bruins watching), have set the current NHL blueprint with their relentless forechecking style and big bodies.

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and teams will look to copy the Cats’ model of success.

“If you look at the Panthers, you look at any team in the Atlantic Division, they’re big, they’re hard to play against,” said Zadorov, who skates and trains with a bunch of the Panthers players in Fort Lauderdale during the offseason. “So, I think you’re just going to have to match the conference like in that way.”

Zadorov brings an intimidation factor to an already stout defensive group. His highlight videos are full of bone-crunching hits. Opponents will think twice about taking liberties when he’s in the building.

“He’s big. He’s mean. He’s angry. He has skill. He has all the things that I think we need,” said McAvoy, who likely will be paired with Zadorov at least when training camp opens. “He’s someone who everybody has got to know when he is out on the ice, and I think that that’s someone that you really want to have on your team.”

I just think it creates a little more space, a little more time with and without the puck, and what I mean by without the puck is people know when he’s on the ice, so they get rid of it a little bit quicker,” said the coach. “Having watched a lot of the tape of him, especially in the playoffs last year, not only does he embrace that role, but I think he relishes it.”

It’s not just on the back end where general manager Don Sweeney beefed up.

Among the acquisitions up front are heavy hitters Mark Kastelic (6-4, 226 pounds), Max Jones (6-3, 216 pounds), Riley Tufte (6-6, 230 pounds), and Cole Koepke (6-1, 203 pounds).

“I think that’s something that stood out to me when I got traded here is how big and heavy everybody is,” said Kastelic, acquired with Joonas Korpisalo in the deal that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa. “So, I fall into that category and it’s definitely different, not being one of the biggest guys around. I think I feel pretty average in here, but that’s the style hockey I think everybody wants to play this year, to be big and heavy. So, I think everybody’s excited about what we have in this room.”

The emphasis on size is not limited to the varsity roster. Up and down the organization, the philosophy is clear: Big is in.

The other benefit to the increased bulk and brawn is that practicing against these guys will help prepare the Bruins for the rigors of the postseason

“The East is deep. There’s a lot of really good teams even just throughout the league, there’s so much parity now,” said Brad Marchand. “You see it in playoff time when you have bigger, harder teams, kind of what Florida was last year, it’s really hard to play against that for four rounds, seven games, and you just can lean on guys, and they cover more space when you can push guys out of a series just with how big and physical guys can be. So, it’s great. The additions we’ve made and they’re big, but they can skate, they can make plays, they’re tough. So, I really love the additions that we’ve made this year and should definitely help us.”

As much as Mougenel loves the increased size, he said there is one quality that trumps it.

“I think we’ve done a real good job with some bigger players, and we’ve done a real good job with some smaller players. And the common denominator for a smaller player, like a Brad Marchand, is the compete level, and that can’t change,” he said. “You can be a big guy and not compete and you’re not going to have a long career. So, compete is first. Everybody, I think that Sweens brought in this offseason, are very competitive people, which is good for our bunch because it’s a competitive group from top to bottom.”

 

[DKH]

Sure if you give Carlo a C+ I guess. That’s ludicrous.

Haha was watching Georgia- Kentucky last night with Joe aka Glorydaze and looking at this Athletic take and conclusion this profect/article is ridiculous

I would seriously doubt it, Sweeney has never been the panicky type, and Utah doesn't have a goalie to send back to Boston.

The only thing I’m confident about Swayman is he sure as hell doesn’t want to leave

 

[Gee Wally]

Is it time for Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell to make the jump from AHL Providence to the Bruins? - The Boston Globe

Merkulov, 23, and Lysell, 21, were kept back in Boston and did not board the bus to Buffalo for the annual Prospects Challenge.

www.bostonglobe.com

BUFFALO — Georgii Merkulov? Absent. Fabian Lysell? Also nowhere to be seen at the edge of Lake Erie, where the summer sun that pushed temperatures Saturday into the 80s soon will turn traitor cold.
For Bruins fans, the Black and Gold loyalists ever eager to see the next shiny penny drop from the sky and into the lineup, it portends as encouraging news that Merkulov, 23, and Lysell, 21, were kept back in Boston and did not board the bus for the annual Prospects Challenge.
They’re still prospects, albeit now with benefits, no longer needing to be here among fresh-faced kids, some of whom on Friday pulled on a Bruins sweater for the first time in what was the tournament opener (a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh).

After two years of steady work with the AHL WannaB’s, it just might be time for the two forwards finally to take off and find the footlights of the NHL. Merkulov led Providence last season in goals (30) and points (65), while Lysell, the club’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, increased his production to 15-35–50.

Beginning Wednesday, when the varsity camp opens in Brighton, we’ll find out if two years of steady, diligent AHL prep is the diploma that lands them work among hockey’s most highly skilled workforce.

“Are they ready for a job in the NHL?” mused Providence coach Ryan Mougenel, here again this year to run the Boston bench during the Prospects Challenge. “I think they are, but you know, if you asked me if Justin Brazeau was [ready] last year, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a crystal ball. I do think they’re in a really good spot to push.”

Brazeau, a big, raw talent who was never drafted, showed some promising signs late last season when he moved on up from Providence. He will be just some of the competition that Merkulov and Lysell are about to face. He was on no one’s “emerging prospect” list this time a year ago.

Merkulov, signed as a college free agent out of Ohio State in the spring of 2022, is a left-shot center wired to shoot, then shoot some more.

He is 5 feet 11 inches, 175 pounds, and logged limited ice time in his four-game look (0-0–0) with Boston last season. He is eligible to return for another year in Providence but is as eager to launch his NHL career as he is eager to shoot pucks. Given the political strife at home, and ongoing war with Ukraine, he would not want to return to Russia.

Lysell, chosen 21st in 2021, is a blazing-fast right winger with a right shot. Legit legs. Potential burner. He is now 5-11, 180 pounds, a bit stouter than the spindly 18-year-old that originally caught the eye of Bruins scouts. He, too, could go back to the WannaB’s, but another AHL season might not be the challenge that gets his game to the next level.

Though career advancement is essentially the core of Mougenel’s job description, it’s about to be left to Boston coach Jim Montgomery to find out if he has room in his lineup for Lysell and/or Merkulov.

Mougenel only can provide the road map out of Providence. For kids with a dream, they have to get behind the wheel and navigate on their own.

“When they’re ready to graduate, they’ll be in good hands,” said Mougenel, lauding the Bruins’ coaching staff, including Montgomery, Joe Sacco, and Chris Kelly. “I think they are [ready]. I hope they are. I think they understand that they should feel very confident going into camp. They’re two hell of a good hockey players who’ve grown a lot as people and players.

“We’re proud of who they are and where they’re going. They’re both still really young. We’re excited for them.”

 

[DKH]

Is it time for Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell to make the jump from AHL Providence to the Bruins? - The Boston Globe

Merkulov, 23, and Lysell, 21, were kept back in Boston and did not board the bus to Buffalo for the annual Prospects Challenge.

www.bostonglobe.com

BUFFALO — Georgii Merkulov? Absent. Fabian Lysell? Also nowhere to be seen at the edge of Lake Erie, where the summer sun that pushed temperatures Saturday into the 80s soon will turn traitor cold.
For Bruins fans, the Black and Gold loyalists ever eager to see the next shiny penny drop from the sky and into the lineup, it portends as encouraging news that Merkulov, 23, and Lysell, 21, were kept back in Boston and did not board the bus for the annual Prospects Challenge.
They’re still prospects, albeit now with benefits, no longer needing to be here among fresh-faced kids, some of whom on Friday pulled on a Bruins sweater for the first time in what was the tournament opener (a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh).

After two years of steady work with the AHL WannaB’s, it just might be time for the two forwards finally to take off and find the footlights of the NHL. Merkulov led Providence last season in goals (30) and points (65), while Lysell, the club’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, increased his production to 15-35–50.

Beginning Wednesday, when the varsity camp opens in Brighton, we’ll find out if two years of steady, diligent AHL prep is the diploma that lands them work among hockey’s most highly skilled workforce.

“Are they ready for a job in the NHL?” mused Providence coach Ryan Mougenel, here again this year to run the Boston bench during the Prospects Challenge. “I think they are, but you know, if you asked me if Justin Brazeau was [ready] last year, I wouldn’t know. I don’t have a crystal ball. I do think they’re in a really good spot to push.”

Brazeau, a big, raw talent who was never drafted, showed some promising signs late last season when he moved on up from Providence. He will be just some of the competition that Merkulov and Lysell are about to face. He was on no one’s “emerging prospect” list this time a year ago.

Merkulov, signed as a college free agent out of Ohio State in the spring of 2022, is a left-shot center wired to shoot, then shoot some more.

He is 5 feet 11 inches, 175 pounds, and logged limited ice time in his four-game look (0-0–0) with Boston last season. He is eligible to return for another year in Providence but is as eager to launch his NHL career as he is eager to shoot pucks. Given the political strife at home, and ongoing war with Ukraine, he would not want to return to Russia.

Lysell, chosen 21st in 2021, is a blazing-fast right winger with a right shot. Legit legs. Potential burner. He is now 5-11, 180 pounds, a bit stouter than the spindly 18-year-old that originally caught the eye of Bruins scouts. He, too, could go back to the WannaB’s, but another AHL season might not be the challenge that gets his game to the next level.

Though career advancement is essentially the core of Mougenel’s job description, it’s about to be left to Boston coach Jim Montgomery to find out if he has room in his lineup for Lysell and/or Merkulov.

Mougenel only can provide the road map out of Providence. For kids with a dream, they have to get behind the wheel and navigate on their own.

“When they’re ready to graduate, they’ll be in good hands,” said Mougenel, lauding the Bruins’ coaching staff, including Montgomery, Joe Sacco, and Chris Kelly. “I think they are [ready]. I hope they are. I think they understand that they should feel very confident going into camp. They’re two hell of a good hockey players who’ve grown a lot as people and players.

“We’re proud of who they are and where they’re going. They’re both still really young. We’re excited for them.”

Just reading ~ pretty encouraging


“When they’re ready to graduate, they’ll be in good hands,” said Mougenel, lauding the Bruins’ coaching staff, including Montgomery, Joe Sacco, and Chris Kelly. “I think they are [ready]. I hope they are. I think they understand that they should feel very confident going into camp. They’re two hell of a good hockey players who’ve grown a lot as people and players.

“We’re proud of who they are and where they’re going. They’re both still really young. We’re excited for them.”

 

[DKH]

It’s unfortunate Bruins don’t have 10 NHL top 6 F prospects fighting for 2 spots but no problem with where they are at.

I’d love a Kulich but I’m fine with a couple like Lysell & Merk

Poitras should take a major step - clearly a step or even half step, sturdier body, and decisions to not be a hero battling out of weight class when don’t have to, he should be better

Lohrei ceiling is pretty high

The Bruins are in a good spot

 

[CellyHard]

It’s unfortunate Bruins don’t have 10 NHL top 6 F prospects fighting for 2 spots but no problem with where they are at.

I’d love a Kulich but I’m fine with a couple like Lysell & Merk

Poitras should take a major step - clearly a step or even half step, sturdier body, and decisions to not be a hero battling out of weight class when don’t have to, he should be better

Lohrei ceiling is pretty high

The Bruins are in a good spot

Bruins are in a great spot. Graduating Poitras, Lysell and Lohrei full time would be huge for this team.

Not to mention the progression of guys like Beecher and Brazeau.

But they should still keep their eyes out for anyone hitting the waiver wire this year.

Kulich got me thinking because of how loaded Buffalo's prospect pool is. They still have Ostlund, Benson, and Rosen pushing as well.

I don't see much of a role for Peyron Krebs on that team. He's going to get passed pretty soon, especially with the McLeod trade.

Not saying he is the guy to target but someone like him.

 

[aguineapig72]

Poitras should take a major step - clearly a step or even half step, sturdier body, and decisions to not be a hero battling out of weight class when don’t have to, he should be better

He's got the skills, he's got the smarts, if he's found his strength just find him his Ricky Middleton

 

[DKH]

Bruins are in a great spot. Graduating Poitras, Lysell and Lohrei full time would be huge for this team.

Not to mention the progression of guys like Beecher and Brazeau.

But they should still keep their eyes out for anyone hitting the waiver wire this year.

Kulich got me thinking because of how loaded Buffalo's prospect pool is. They still have Ostlund, Benson, and Rosen pushing as well.

I don't see much of a role for Peyron Krebs on that team. He's going to get passed pretty soon, especially with the McLeod trade.

Not saying he is the guy to target but someone like him.

If we were Western team yes - team like Utah will have top 6 prospects and no top 6 room soon

Buffalo about at that as right now

Unfortunately won’t deal with Boston

 

[Grimey]

It looks like they’re trying to put together a modern-day version of the Big Bad Bruins - The Boston Globe

Being hard to play against throughout an 82-game season is a necessity. It’s on the postseason stage, however, where size, muscle, and grit are the most important ingredients to advance.

www.bostonglobe.com

Charlie McAvoy is a big deal.
A solidly built 6 feet 1 inch and 210 pounds, McAvoy is one of the NHL’s most complete defenders: a swift skater with good vision and anticipation. He plays a physical game and dishes out punishing body checks.
And yet he’s the smallest member of the Bruins’ projected defensive corps.
“I wasn’t going to say it, but I knew it right away. Someone said it to me and I’m like, ‘I don’t think you’re wrong,’ " McAvoy said with a laugh following a recent captain’s practice. “It’s good to have size. I think you’re seeing a little bit of the makeup of a lot of the good teams in the league, and the size helps obviously. I think the skating ability, you’ve got to be big, but you’ve got to be able to move, and I think we have that. I think we have a lot of dynamic defensemen.”

The Bruins put a premium on size during their offseason overhaul. According to eliteprospects.com, the Bruins are the only team in the league whose roster averages 6 feet 3 inches. They also are the NHL’s heaviest team at an average of 208 pounds.

“Look at our D corps — a lot of horses there, so it’s exciting,” said Nikita Zadorov, the biggest of the backline bruisers at 6-6, 248 pounds. “I feel like I’ve been playing in the West for the past nine years and the West has always been big and physical and strong, and now I feel like the East is kinding of trending that way, as well.”

Being hard to play against throughout an 82-game season is a necessity to be able to punch a ticket to the playoffs. It’s on the postseason stage, however, where size, muscle, and grit are the most important ingredients to advance.

No sandpaper, no survival.

The dirty areas, specifically along the walls, in the corners, and that most-coveted stretch of ice right in front of the net, are where players (and teams) need to show strength, stoutheartedness, and savvy in order to win the hardest battles in sports.

“I think last year we became a little bit more of a forechecking team than we were two years ago, and I think we’ve got to wait and see exactly what our strengths are, of the individual players and their roles that best support our team identity,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “But I do imagine us trying to be a heavy down-low offensive hockey team and then also being heavy down low in our own end and killing plays and getting out.”

The Panthers, who will raise the first championship banner in franchise history Oct. 8 (with the Bruins watching), have set the current NHL blueprint with their relentless forechecking style and big bodies.

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and teams will look to copy the Cats’ model of success.

“If you look at the Panthers, you look at any team in the Atlantic Division, they’re big, they’re hard to play against,” said Zadorov, who skates and trains with a bunch of the Panthers players in Fort Lauderdale during the offseason. “So, I think you’re just going to have to match the conference like in that way.”

Zadorov brings an intimidation factor to an already stout defensive group. His highlight videos are full of bone-crunching hits. Opponents will think twice about taking liberties when he’s in the building.

“He’s big. He’s mean. He’s angry. He has skill. He has all the things that I think we need,” said McAvoy, who likely will be paired with Zadorov at least when training camp opens. “He’s someone who everybody has got to know when he is out on the ice, and I think that that’s someone that you really want to have on your team.”

I just think it creates a little more space, a little more time with and without the puck, and what I mean by without the puck is people know when he’s on the ice, so they get rid of it a little bit quicker,” said the coach. “Having watched a lot of the tape of him, especially in the playoffs last year, not only does he embrace that role, but I think he relishes it.”

It’s not just on the back end where general manager Don Sweeney beefed up.

Among the acquisitions up front are heavy hitters Mark Kastelic (6-4, 226 pounds), Max Jones (6-3, 216 pounds), Riley Tufte (6-6, 230 pounds), and Cole Koepke (6-1, 203 pounds).

“I think that’s something that stood out to me when I got traded here is how big and heavy everybody is,” said Kastelic, acquired with Joonas Korpisalo in the deal that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa. “So, I fall into that category and it’s definitely different, not being one of the biggest guys around. I think I feel pretty average in here, but that’s the style hockey I think everybody wants to play this year, to be big and heavy. So, I think everybody’s excited about what we have in this room.”

The emphasis on size is not limited to the varsity roster. Up and down the organization, the philosophy is clear: Big is in.

The other benefit to the increased bulk and brawn is that practicing against these guys will help prepare the Bruins for the rigors of the postseason

“The East is deep. There’s a lot of really good teams even just throughout the league, there’s so much parity now,” said Brad Marchand. “You see it in playoff time when you have bigger, harder teams, kind of what Florida was last year, it’s really hard to play against that for four rounds, seven games, and you just can lean on guys, and they cover more space when you can push guys out of a series just with how big and physical guys can be. So, it’s great. The additions we’ve made and they’re big, but they can skate, they can make plays, they’re tough. So, I really love the additions that we’ve made this year and should definitely help us.”

As much as Mougenel loves the increased size, he said there is one quality that trumps it.

“I think we’ve done a real good job with some bigger players, and we’ve done a real good job with some smaller players. And the common denominator for a smaller player, like a Brad Marchand, is the compete level, and that can’t change,” he said. “You can be a big guy and not compete and you’re not going to have a long career. So, compete is first. Everybody, I think that Sweens brought in this offseason, are very competitive people, which is good for our bunch because it’s a competitive group from top to bottom.”

Sweeney after targeting size and snarl this offseason

 

[Fenian24]

It’s unfortunate Bruins don’t have 10 NHL top 6 F prospects fighting for 2 spots but no problem with where they are at.

I’d love a Kulich but I’m fine with a couple like Lysell & Merk

Poitras should take a major step - clearly a step or even half step, sturdier body, and decisions to not be a hero battling out of weight class when don’t have to, he should be better

Lohrei ceiling is pretty high

The Bruins are in a good spot

Expecting 15-30-45ish numbers from Poitras if he has Frederic as winger all year.

 

[DKH]

Bruins over under probably 102 but anything 108 under is free money even if Swayman holds out

Korpi would be back to ASG performance with this D like he was when D was Werenski, Seth Jones, Gavrikov, Savard,even if Sway takes 2 months off - with Swayman just give him the Vezina. Gotta have Swaychise for playoffs but regular season Korpi & Buss work.

Last 5 years here I came in under what they ended with so 108 probably low again

Thank you Donny & Evan

 

[wintersej]

It does feel like as a group we are sleeping on Merkulov making the roster.

 

[DKH]

Expecting 15-30-45ish numbers from Poitras if he has Frederic as winger all year.

My 9/15/24 want is

Freddie- Poitras- Geekie

He’s tough he fills out I’m hoping for Greg Sheppard

Looooooooooved Greg Shepard would be ecstatic if this happens

I would love to see Middleton who was a playmaker as well as assassin ~ sit with Lysell and go over his time in 70-80’s and tell him how he morphed into a 3 zone stud and used his playmaking to get space to create and shoot

 

[PB37]

It does feel like as a group we are sleeping on Merkulov making the roster.

He seems to have NHL quality shot but I wasn't fan of the lack of burst in his skating. I think for a smaller guy, it needs to be there. Hopefully he's worked on it and both he and Lysell have a good battle for the open spot at 2RW.

 

[JoeIsAStud]

It does feel like as a group we are sleeping on Merkulov making the roster.

Where do you see him getting a look? Can he be at Poitras out at center? Seems he has a lot of work to do there.

Can he win a le job? Bruins have a lot of lw, but I guess maybe if Marchand misses time. Of course he has never been as effective as lw as he is at center.

Could he win the rw role? Maybe but he's never played there as a pro

 

[DaStinger]

It does feel like as a group we are sleeping on Merkulov making the roster.

I don't have him in any of my lineups. Hope he comes and steals a spot, but I don't expect it. Lysell a better bet.

 

[Kegs]

It does feel like as a group we are sleeping on Merkulov making the roster.

I don’t think there is a centre spot open. I also don’t think he can play 2nd line rw.

I think if he plays well he will see some nhl time this season though.

 

[wintersej]

He seems to have NHL quality shot but I wasn't fan of the lack of burst in his skating. I think for a smaller guy, it needs to be there. Hopefully he's worked on it and both he and Lysell have a good battle for the open spot at 2RW.

Where do you see him getting a look? Can he be at Poitras out at center? Seems he has a lot of work to do there.

Can he win a le job? Bruins have a lot of lw, but I guess maybe if Marchand misses time. Of course he has never been as effective as lw as he is at center.

Could he win the rw role? Maybe but he's never played there as a pro

I don't have him in any of my lineups. Hope he comes and steals a spot, but I don't expect it. Lysell a better bet.

I don’t think there is a centre spot open. I also don’t think he can play 2nd line rw.

I think if he plays well he will see some nhl time this season though.

I haven't had him in my lineups either, but the team sure seems to be giving him a real chance for a spot. More curious where they think that could be. Are they less gung ho on Poitras having an NHL spot? Do they think Merkulov can fit on either wing? Would they ever allow Poitras, Lysell and Merkulov to all be playing in the middle six at once? Even more so than Lysell, it's really make or break time for Merkulov. He has nothing else to prove down there and the weaknesses in his game (not being fast or big) just aren't going to be challenged at the AHL level.