Kevin O’Keefe via X asked: How long before they send (Matthew) Poitras back to juniors and ruin my fun for the season?
Answer: Well Kevin, go back to very early in the offseason when everyone was talking about Mason Lohrei, Fabian Lysell, Marc McLaughlin and Georgii Merkulov making the roster for the upcoming season. I said then, “don’t sleep on Matthew Poitras.” And now, everyone knows why. The skill set and IQ are NHL level as is the will to do whatever it takes. Still some work to do on the finer details of his game though and that is something he can work on in the OHL, if that’s what the Bruins choose. At this point, I think he will be one of the last cuts at camp. And that’s not a bad thing. I predicted he will challenge for the Ontario Hockey League scoring championship for this season and a recent survey had 30% of the OHL media agreeing with me.
Now, many fans are wanting him on the roster for the 9 games allowed under the CBA before burning a year off his ELC and are echoing coach Jim Montgomery that they want to see how he handles playing a large number of games to see where his stamina is at. I can tell you, knowing and having seen his summer workout routine, that very few players want it more than he does. And he’s built his stamina. He’s played two full seasons in the OHL of 68 games each with the exception of two – 2 game suspensions So he’s use to the grind. This isn’t an NCAA schedule. And many times, he played 3 games in 3 days where he was just as good in the third game as he was in the first.
Truth is, the Bruins might be better served from the business standpoint to send him back to the OHL for several reasons. I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing for him either. I know he won’t pout and I am confident he will work even harder. It’s in his DNA.
Mark Minton via X added: Why can’t Matt (Poitras) do AHL just age?
Answer: Correct. It’s part of the NHL-CHL Agreement. I would like to add that fans are all over this agreement and want it ended. However, this is not just a CHL thing. The 2022 NHL agreement with Sweden and other European countries allows first round picks to be sent to the AHL. However, second round picks and beyond require the permission or release from their Swedish teams in order to be sent to the AHL until they reach 24-years of age.
Jennifer via email asks: Dom, I love the amount of work you put in and you’ve probably answered this a thousand times already, but how much hockey do you actually watch?
Answer: Thanks Jen. First of all, my first commitment is to the OHL. This season, I will be tracking 291 players eligible for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. I will see all of them live at least twice (if they remain on their OHL rosters). Of course, I watch every single Bruins game although sometimes on DVR. Early in the morning I will catch games from the KHL, SHL and the J20 Nationell depending on who is playing and in my spare time catch USHL and NCAA games, again depending on who is playing but I have to record those. I will also watch and dissect any isolation videos I can get my hands on for certain players.
Tim via email asks: What can we reasonably expect from Locmelis this season?
Answer: I think his transition to North America will be a fairly smooth one. In my preseason prospects update, I had him pegged for 8 goals and 21 assists. While the 8 goals might be on the low end, I think his strength to be a playmaker will shine though. As a freshman, 29 points is high but, I won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t reach that. It is more likely I am wrong about his transitioning to the smaller ice surface and that it will take him some time.
Dani via email asks: How do you see the roster shaping up for opening night?
Answer: Not much has changed for me and it is the same now as it was when I tweeted out the roster shortly after they were done signing their free agents. Now, John Beecher, along with Lohrei and Poitras have certainly made cases for themselves, but I think the management team is going to look long and hard at who they can slip through waivers and who they can’t.
Mike O’Connor via X asks: Hey Dom…thoughts on the goaltending depth? The Bruins have looks like 5 deep in that position will there be some movement there and your overall thoughts on goaltending development…
Answer: The goaltending question was bound to come up sooner or later so, thanks for that Mike. I’m going to answer in reverse here. Goaltending development has come a long way over the last several years. It still lacks behind some of the European nations but North American junior leagues and the NCAA have been investing more in young goaltenders. Mike Dunham keeps close tabs on them where ever they are playing and then works with them in Providence. By the time Bob Essensa gets them in Boston, they are well on their way. I have no issue with their development and we might be hard pressed to find a Bruins fan who does.
As for the positional depth: The Bruins are actually 8 goalies deep. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in Boston, Brandon Bussi and if I were to guess Kyle Keyser in Providence and Michael DiPietro and Shane Starrett (AHL contract) in Maine. The crease is actually crowded in Maine as well with the recent signing of Cole Ceci to an ECHL deal so someone may be loaned somewhere else. Then there is Reid Dyck playing with Swift Current in the WHL who will need a contract by June 2024 and Philip Svedeback with the Providence Friars, and you never know when he wants to turn pro.
Unless a team suffers a major injury and makes the Bruins an offer they can’t refuse, I think Ullmark and Swayman will be with Boston for the season. I think the summer of 2024 is when we likely see a trade. That’s when Bussi loses his waiver exemption and I can’t see any scenario barring a catastrophic season for him where he would clear waivers. So, the Bruins are going to have to do something via the trade market to open up a spot for him. Keyser and DiPietro are RFA at the end of the season and if Dyck and Svedeback are coming in, you could walk away from one or both. Not to mention they have eyes on Samuel St-Hilaire who they invited to rookie camp and he is currently tearing up the QMJHL.
Carlos via email asks: Are you worried that Lysell hasn’t taken the next step and that he might be a bust?
Answer: Worried? No, not at all. Every player develops at his own pace and I think Lysell is on a longer path than say Lohrei and Poitras. There is no denying the skillset he possesses. That said, this is a very big year for Lysell. He needs to speed up that path. You will get no argument from me if you said there are things he needs to work on.
At last year’s World Championships (and I spoke about this), I had access to some IIHF stats most people don’t get access too. One of them was skating and the speed at which he travelled while attacking and backchecking. The discrepancy was just too much. Hockey is now a 200-foot game and you have to compete like that. But when I discussed it, it came with the caveat that “he will get it.”
As he been surpassed by Lohrei and Poitras as the Bruins top prospects? Probably. But he still has the potential to be a top-6 forward in the NHL, but it’s up to him now. Let’s revisit this in a couple of months and see where we stand.
Carlos is one of the many Bruins fans from Brazil!
NOTE: There were literally dozens of questions pertaining to Poitras and Lysell. I took two of them that basically covered it LL.
That’s it for this mailbag. Thanks for all the questions. With the puck set to drop on the 2023-2024 season we will do this weekly as long as you have questions. Email them in any time to ohlwriters@gmail.com or simply send them in on X.
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Dom - Hockey 