BOSTON — David Pastrnak is one of several forwards battling for a spot on the Bruins’ opening night roster.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff and upper management haven’t been able to do a full evaluation of him because a shoulder injury has kept the 2014 first-round draft pick out of the first five preseason games.
Bruins head coach Claude Julien is hoping Pastrnak will be cleared for one or both of the team’s final two preseason games — Friday against the New York Islanders and Saturday versus the Detroit Red Wings.
“I think right now, he’s feeling good,” Julien said after Thursday’s practice. “He looks like he’s ready, and the only thing that’s stopping us from saying yes right now is that we just need the doctors to clear him.
“I’m feeling confident that he will be (cleared), from what David’s telling me himself, he feels good. So we’ll wait and see, and probably be able to confirm that for you (Friday) morning.”
Pastrnak returned to practice earlier this week after missing several skates with a shoulder injury suffered on the third day of camp. The 18-year-old forward admitted Thursday that watching games hasn’t been easy for him.
“It’s always the worst part for a hockey player when you’re just watching games and you can’t play them,” Pastrnak said. “It’s real sad, but that’s part of hockey and that happens.”
Pastrnak is a tremendous offensive player. He has great speed, a powerful and accurate shot, and slick puck-handling skills. The goal for him if he does play in the preseason is to show the defensive aspect of his game. As a smaller forward (5-foot-10, about 165 pounds), it’s still uncertain if Pastrnak can handle the physicality of the NHL game. Forwards don’t receive much playing time from Julien if they lack a reliable two-way skill set.
“Sometimes, a guy doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to showcase what he can do, and unfortunately for David, that’s the case,” Julien said. “He’s a young player, so for us to keep him here, there’s a lot of things we have to see. He’s not a very big player, so can he handle the strength of this league, overall? We know his skill level and skating is good, but he’s going to have to show us that, if he’s able to play in these games.
“If not, then we come to an ever tougher decision to make, so that’s something we’d end up discussing just before we make our final roster decisions with everybody.”
Pastrnak is able to play nine-regular season games before the Bruins have to make a final decision on his status for the 2014-15 campaign. If he plays more than nine NHL games, his entry-level contract begins this season. If the Czech winger doesn’t play in Boston, he’ll likely go back to Sweden for another season.
Nine games, maybe 11 if he plays in the remainder of the preseason, isn’t a lot of time for the Bruins to accurately assess Pastrnak’s readiness.
Even though it would be fun to watch Pastrnak display his exciting talent on the TD Garden ice this winter, Boston must be patient with him. Rushing a prospect of his caliber would be a mistake, and the Bruins are fortunate they don’t absolutely need him this season.
Photo via Twitter/@NHLBruins
