It appears that most people would agree. At training camp, Mason Lohrei made the Bruins decision to send him to the Providence Bruins of the AHL a difficult one. There were some obvious things Lohrei needed to work on and appeared that the opportunities to work on those things would be in Providence. And of course, the business side of the game played a role on his Providence assignment.
Then came one of his many callups/demotions (mostly paper transactions) and while it looked promising for the future, it was obvious he did not look ready nor as comfortable as he did in the preseason. It earned him another stint in Providence. Then came the callup that changed everything.
Lohrei looked better prepared. He looked more determined to make his impact felt. He looked like he wanted it more than ever. The rookie mistakes everyone (in the fanbase) was willing to live with came less frequently. He played with more and more confidence with each passing shift. He’s learned to trust his partners and whether he is paired with Charlie McAvoy or Kevin Shattenkirk, he knows the veterans have his back.
Lohrei has 3 goals on the season, tied with McAvoy and one less than Shattenkirk, despite only playing in 19 games. His 9.7 shooting percentage leads the Bruins defence. His 33 blocked shots averages out to 1.73 per game behind only McAvoy (2.11) and Brandon Carlo (1.91) and on par with Derek Forbort (1.75). Of his 54 shot attempts, his 57.4% that find the target is easily the best among Bruins blueliners. Only 3 defencemen average more even strength TOI: McAvoy, Carlo and Hampus Lindholm.
I don’t know how you take Lohrei out of the lineup for a team that struggles for production from the back end. At the same time, he has steadily improved his defensive work to the point he’s earned the coaching staff’s confidence in being able to kill penalties, albeit in small doses. But something is going to have to give. Forbort is eligible to come off LTIR on January 2 and while the Bruins have been quiet when it comes to updates on his status, a decision could be looming soon.
Perhaps no player has been debated more than Jake DeBrusk this season. While I think that most people can agree that his game, other than production, has been at a level higher than we’ve ever seen from him he is still supposed to be a point producer for the Bruins and if he’s not bringing that, the Bruins will struggle with secondary scoring. He entered the holiday break going pointless in 6 games.
After a quick reset over Christmas, DeBrusk returned refreshed and looking ready to make an impact. In the two games prior to this afternoon’s matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, DeBrusk has a goal and 3 assists. The Bruins and fans have been waiting for this all season. It’s foolish to think he can maintain that pace even for a week, but confidence can do wonders for a player and this has been a positive for DeBrusk. What do you feel is acceptable production the rest of the way? Is it a point-per-game? Is it .60 points-per-game?
If you’re judging by social media, the consensus appears to be to trade DeBrusk. I try to use logic when it comes to these things but not always with success. Like most fans, I can be a fanatic and logic doesn’t always creep in. That’s why you should listen to Ty Anderson who appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Hockey Show Saturday and provided his thoughts.
Much has been said about the Bruins inability or unwillingness to engage, with fisticuffs, if necessary, against opponents who take liberties against the team. And now, those discussions trickle down to the Providence Bruins.
Just past the midway point of the second period of Providence’s 8-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds, Fabian Lysell was forced to drop the gloves with Springfield’s Keenan Washkurak. It wasn’t until Lysell lay flat on the ice that Washkurak was able to connect with a couple of blows while a couple of Lysell’s teammates stood and watched. Washkurak was already being tagged with an instigator and that warranted someone stepping in to come to Lysell’s defence.
Furthermore, no one stepped up in the third to get some sort of retribution. I’m like most of you in believing your best players should not be fighting these battles. So, why would Lysell even consider dropping the gloves?
I assume part of it is that he wants to prove that he will do whatever is necessary to get a callup to Boston. He just watched teammate Georgii Merkulov get the call for his first NHL game and he wants his name to be next. Credit to him for that. Shame on those that didn’t do something, anything to say you can’t do that to our best players when the game is out of reach.
Dom - Hockey 