Although the Boston Bruins came away with a come-from-behind victory in a clash with their divisional rival, the Florida Panthers, it didn’t come without a cost. The Bruins’ defensive corps was dealt a significant blow during the contest as they were forced to finish the game with only four defensemen. Matt Grzelcyk left the game early with what is being deemed as an upper-body injury, and to top it off, his top pairing partner, Charlie McAvoy, was ejected from the game after being handed a match penalty for his hit on Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Following a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, McAvoy was handed a four-game suspension for the illegal hit. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery also provided an update on Grzelcyk’s injury, saying, “It’s going to be a couple of weeks, it looks like [on Grzelcyk].”
With the absences on the back end, the Bruins announced some roster moves on Wednesday, Nov. 1, by recalling three defensemen from the Providence Bruins. Mason Lohrei, Parker Wotherspoon and Ian Mitchell have all been called upon to fill the void left on the blue line. While Mitchell started the season in Boston and was recently sent down to Providence, the time is now for Lohrei to prove he belongs with the big club.
Lohrei’s Time to Shine Is Now for the Bruins
During training camp, Lohrei drew plenty of attention from both Bruins management and the fans tuning into the preseason action. His performance, much like that of Matthew Poitras and Johnny Beecher, who both ultimately broke camp with the big club to begin the season, made a difficult roster decision for general manager Don Sweeney. In one of the final moves before the Bruins finalized their roster heading into the campaign, Lohrei was assigned to Providence due to a log jam on the left side of their defensive corps.
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Many wished to see Lohrei make his NHL debut from the get-go this season. However, having the lofty blueliner playing bottom-pairing minutes in Boston could be detrimental to his development rather than soaking up top-pairing minutes at the AHL level. However, all of that is now in the rearview as Lohrei is being gifted an excellent opportunity to prove he belongs.
Through seven games with the P-Bruins, Lohrei has picked up four assists to go along with a +/- rating of plus-2. Standing at 6-foot-5, 211 pounds, he boasts the size to come in and make an impact at the NHL level. His reach is reminiscent of the length former captain Zdeno Chara exhibited from the blue line. While he obviously doesn’t stand at the giant status of Chara, he also has more mobility and is much smoother with the puck on his stick. He made a good impression with Montgomery through training camp, who did confirm after Wednesday’s practice (Nov. 1) that Lohrei will in fact be in the lineup versus the Maple Leafs and is set to play alongside veteran Brandon Carlo for the contest.
Immediate Results May Change Sweeney’s Course of Direction
Lohrei’s play will most definitely be under the microscope of Sweeney as the Bruins’ immediate results may change the course of direction for the club going forward. While the Bruins’ GM seemed intent on re-signing the pending unrestricted free agent, Grzelcyk, his name has also been involved as a possible trade asset for the club. Should Lohrei come in and make an impact with his play and the Bruins continue to pile up wins, Sweeney may become more comfortable with the possibility of dealing Grzelcyk in an attempt to add to the Bruins’ offense, which is one area of the ice that could use improvement for the club right now.
Related: Diving Deep: Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk, the Hometown Kid
Grzelcyk’s injury comes at a time when the Bruins have been rolling through their opposition, largely thanks to the play of their defense and the stellar goaltending of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. While the news certainly isn’t good, anytime you lose one of your most relied-upon players, it also serves as an ample opportunity to see what their top prospect is all about. Be sure to tune in when the Bruins take on the Maple Leafs to see Lohrei in action for his debut.