BOSTON — The Boston Bruins sent Mike Callahan and Fabian Lysell to Providence on Tuesday. They placed Alec Regula, Dan Renouf, Anthony Richard, Reilly Walsh and Parker Wotherspoon on waivers for the purpose of AHL assignment.
Additional transactions are pending following Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.
“There’s a lot of guys fighting for jobs,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “It’s healthy. There are some guys that are making it hard.”
The Bruins have just one preseason game remaining on Thursday against the New York Rangers. They must be down to the 23-player maximum and compliant under the $83.5 million ceiling by Oct. 9.
With some difficult decisions coming, here are 10 players who are giving Montgomery and the other bosses things to consider:
Position: No. 3 left wing
Positives: Lots of speed and skill … Coming off back-to-back 10-goal seasons with the New Jersey Devils, so there’s some offense there … Can kill penalties.
Negatives: Hasn’t popped in camp to the point where his job is guaranteed … Needs to be around the offensive action more inside the dots.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned.
Where he’ll start: Boston
Position: No. 4 center/right wing
Positives: Fearless, team-first energy forward … Can play both center and wing … Happy to play physical and kill penalties.
Negatives: Did not play with enough pace against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday … Has to be on top of pucks to play his in-your-face game.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned.
Where he’ll start: Providence
Position: No. 3/4 left wing/right wing
Positives: Big, physical straight-line wing … Has some pop when he has the puck in transition.
Negatives: Has some duplication with Milan Lucic … Was strictly a five-on-five player last year, so he may not be trusted in specialty situations.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned … Unrestricted after this season.
Where he’ll start: Providence
Position: No. 4 right wing/extra forward
Positives: Do-it-all veteran who can play important five-on-five shifts, kill penalties and fill in on the power play … Played all four lines and both wings during his first tour with the Bruins … Played for coach Jim Montgomery at the University of Denver.
Negatives: Has gotten down on himself when he’s not producing … Confidence becomes an issue when his downturns extend.
Variables: Needs an NHL contract, as he is in camp on a tryout agreement.
Where he’ll start: Boston
Position: No. 4 right wing
Positives: High-flying energy forward who can annoy opponents, kill penalties and fight when needed … Infectious personality who is well-liked by his teammates … Had some chemistry with Lucic and Johnny Beecher against the Capitals.
Negatives: Still learning defensive coverage … Appears to be limited offensively … Can go stretches when he’s quiet.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned … Other teams might see upside in the 23-year-old and make a claim.
Where he’ll start: Boston
Position: No. 4 center/right wing
Positives: Versatile energy forward who can play multiple positions … Plays with pace and willing to forecheck.
Negatives: Did not do enough with his preseason opportunities to make his varsity case.
Variables: Does not need waivers to be assigned.
Where he’ll start: Providence
Position: No. 6 RD/extra defenseman
Positives: Lively skater, willing to play the body, quick to pinch down the right-side wall to extend offensive-zone time … Plays at a high pace.
Negatives: Didn’t produce as much offense as the Bruins would have liked during the preseason… Not known as a play-killer in the defensive zone.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned.
Where he’ll start: Boston
Position: No. 2 center
Positives: Has made plays throughout camp, both for himself and his linemates … Played 18:27 against the Capitals, one night after logging 16:39 against the Flyers … In the third period against the Capitals, fooled Evgeny Kuznetsov by faking up the left-side wall, then cutting back down toward the slot to beat Darcy Kuemper … Very good at creating space by pulling back from defenders and giving his linemates time to get open … Gets up and competes for more after going down against bigger opponents … “He reminds me a lot of (Mitch) Marner, the way that he plays,” said Brad Marchand. “He’s smart on both sides of the puck. He’s really good with it, the way he moves, he can dish it. Just reminds me of him. He’s not timid to get into the dirty areas and compete for pucks. He’s got great vision. He does a great job of cutting to the middle and buying himself some space. He’s able to find those quiet areas on the ice where he has an extra second to make a play. Even when he’s under pressure, when guys are kind of barreling down, he seems to find holes.”
Negatives: Only 19 years old and 176 pounds … Far from a finished product away from the puck… At risk of being injured against NHL men, although he has the hockey sense to avoid car-crash incidents.
Variables: Is not eligible to play in the AHL this season … Can stay with the Bruins for nine games without burning the first season of his entry-level contract … Has to return to Guelph of the OHL if he doesn’t stick with the Bruins.
Where he’ll start: Boston
Matty on the money 💪 pic.twitter.com/aezyd99kea
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 4, 2023
Position: No. 3/4 right wing
Positives: Good straight-line speed and willingness to get inside … Hard on pucks and bodies.
Negatives: Running out of chances to make an NHL impression … Can go stretches without producing offense.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned.
Where he’ll start: Providence
Position: Extra defenseman
Positives: Can make seam passes as well as any of the defensemen … Smooth skater.
Negatives: Can’t buy a break, as he was injured in the preseason opener and missed several practices … Not as quick as he needs to be with his decision making.
Variables: Needs waivers to be assigned … Another team could see value in claiming the 2015 first-rounder … Unrestricted at year’s end.
Where he’ll start: Providence
(Photo of Danton Heinen: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today)
