Player Discussion Mark Kastelic

NDiesel

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Mar 22, 2008
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NWO
Didn't even realize that pounding was his 2nd fight of the night until this morning. What a beauty
 

Mr. Make-Believe

The happy genius of my household
Has to be early leader in clubhouse for 7th player.
It's either him or the guy we got with him.

And this coming from a guy who didn't like the goaltender and didn't know Kastelic from a hole in my ass.

Korpisalo has been stellar. Kastelic has shown an ability to be an outstanding presence in his role. Two bright spots early in a season that's been pretty dim.

That trade looked like a disaster at the time. But it's been incredible value even without the first factored in. Looks like a win.
 

MillerTime29Bombs

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Feb 12, 2023
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Woburn
It wasn't markedly different last night -- but it was a little different.....but for most of this season it seemed to me like Kastelic was playing a different game than the rest of the team.

The guy always seemed pissed off about something or someone (which I love). While the rest of the team just seemed happy to be playing hockey instead of selling insurance.
At my house we always preached playing with “happy hate”. Captain K plays that way. Hit to hurt!
 
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MrKabukiman

Ne pas plonger!
Nov 12, 2007
1,648
387
Mass.
Call me crazy, but I could see them keeping Kastelic and moving on from Frederic, assuming Frederic wants bigger money then they are willing to spend.
 

DaStinger

Permanent Interim
Feb 14, 2007
5,210
1,919
NB, Canada
These are my goodluck charms now...
 

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JoeIsAStud

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Call me crazy, but I could see them keeping Kastelic and moving on from Frederic, assuming Frederic wants bigger money then they are willing to spend.

It's certainly possible, although at this point Frederic is not going to get the money he might want in the market. Still a lot of season to go, and could easily replicate his 23/24 numbers and then yes he will get paid, but the chance to make a big jump in salary for him was based on repeating or improving upon last season and that hasn't happened.
 
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DKH

Worst Poster/Awful Takes
Feb 27, 2002
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His Grand father was a really good player - his dad was good bottom 6 player

He and Coyle as bottom 6 C outstanding to me

Boston Globe 12/3 JIM MCBRIDE

Good show​

Mark Kastelic said Sunday’s pregame video of the Bruins’ “Lunch Pail AC” era that featured some of that Don Cherry-coached club’s best bouts (think Stan Jonathan, John Wensink, those guys) “fired him up” for the tilt with the Canadiens.

“I went back and watched it last night with my family, they’re in town, so we threw the video back up on the TV and rewatched it and it was a crazy game back then and it’s cool to watch,” he said. “And I feel like hopefully my style is appreciated here and I feel like personally I feel like a great fit for this organization.”

Former Bruins captains recall what it meant to join such a special fraternity

Kastelic added that hearing Willie O’Ree call his nickname (“Kasty”) during the starting lineup call in the locker room was “pretty special, and something I’ll remember for a long time.”
 
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GordonHowe

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Has to be early leader in clubhouse for 7th player.
Running away with it.

If he becomes the cult hero I expect, the Pro Shop May carry his T-shirt.

And I'll get one.

I'm afraid I have discard the Nikita Zadorov t-shirt I purchased with such excitement and anticipation prior to the beginning of the season.

Maybe he'll get it together and surprise me.

I'm not sure that will happen.

 
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Gee Wally

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There isn’t much subtlety to Mark Kastelic’s game. He’s big (6 feet 4 inches, 227 pounds) with long legs and a longer reach, skates a straight north-south line, and likes to hit. He likes to hit a lot.

“Just something I’ve always done, from a young age,” said Kastelic, whose 131 hits through 33 games entering the weekend ranked second in the NHL. “I feel like I always try to do my best to bring a physical element. I’m not necessarily keeping track of hits and stuff like that, but I just try to be good on the forecheck, get stick on puck, finish the body…”

Lately, the 25-year-old also has been one of the Bruins’ most active shooters. In the five games prior to Saturday night’s 3-1 win over the Sabres at the Garden, he collected 17 shots on net — including one that provided a 2-0 lead in the overtime loss to the Oilers Thursday night in Edmonton.

The goal was Kastelic’s fourth this season, his first since Oct. 26, and gave him a line of 4-7–11, already career highs for assists and points. Kastelic had three hits and one shot Saturday.

Just as hits aren’t everything, the same is true of shots on net, but it’s also true that no player in the lineup of late has equaled Kastelic’s penchant for combining body checks and scoring chances. If Kastelic could begin to convert some of his shots — a number of which have been Grade A opportunities, noted coach Joe Sacco — then he soon could become a prime candidate to move into the top six.

If that billing sounds overly optimistic for a guy chosen 125th in the draft (Ottawa, 2019), that’s fair. But keep in mind, Kastelic in 2019-20 led his junior team — the appropriately named Calgary Hitmen — with a scoring line of 38-30–68. He has proved to have some offensive punch, and the Bruins remain in dire need of putting pucks in the net.

As of Saturday morning, the Bruins had scored 88 goals. Only a half-dozen teams began the day with more modest production. Of the six — St. Louis, Detroit, NY Islanders, Chicago, Anaheim, and Nashville — none was in a playoff position.

Kastelic’s penchant for shooting, and his overall get-to-it attitude around the net and high-danger scoring spots, has caught Sacco’s eye.

“Kasty’s game is straight line, he goes north,” said the coach, prior to his 15th game since replacing the dismissed Jim Montgomery. “He had three primary scoring opportunities last game himself, so he did a good job. He gets to the net. He knows his role on this team … whether it’s playing on the right wing with [Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle] sometimes, or if he’s a center [on a fourth line], he just understands his role. His game doesn’t change, regardless of who he’s playing with.”

Only David Pastrnak (21) and Brad Marchand (18) delivered more rubber on the opposing goalie in the past five games than Kastelic. Elias Lindholm (13) and Morgan Geekie (12) were next in line. The other four forwards play in the top six and on the power play. Kastelic just keeps grinding lower in the order.

“His feet are always going,” noted Sacco. “He’s hard to play against. He’s physical. He set the tone early in the first period [in Edmonton]. One of his first few shifts, he was physical along the wall against one of their better players, finished his check hard. That’s what we need from Kasty. And he’s been doing that pretty consistently.”

“I think I’ve always had that part of it,” said Kastelic. “Everyone wants to be flashy and skilled, be the guy scoring goals. I feel like I’ve had that as part of my game as well, at every level, and I’ve always been a fan of physical hockey.”
 

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