There’s a couple days to figure things out, but the Boston Bruins are going to need to decide where they want to play Ondrej Kase.
The B’s on Friday acquired the 24-year-old winger, sending David Backes, defense prospect Axel Andersson and Boston’s 2020 first-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks in return.
Kase hasn’t played since earlier in the month due to a head injury and flu-like symptoms but recently had been playing with Sam Steel and Max Jones as his linemates. Whether he lines up on the second or third line for the Bruins will provide him with an upgrade.
He’s a right shot, so he’s a natural fit for the second line with David Krejci, who for years has been seeking a stable right winger. Here’s what the Bruins lines might look like if that’s where he’s slotted in there.
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk–David Krejci–Ondrej Kase
Anders Bjork–Charlie Coyle–Danton Heinen
Joakim Nordstrom–Sean Kuraly–Chris Wagner
Scratched/minors: Karson Kuhlman, Anton Blidh, Par Lindholm
This seems like the likely scenario the Bruins will start with. The Bjork-Coyle-Heinen line has gotten plenty of run this season, so there’s some built in chemistry there.
However, general manager Don Sweeney said the second or third line would be a possibility for Kase out of the gate. Here’s what things might look like if he’s on the third line.
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk–David Krejci–Danton Heinen
Anders Bjork–Charlie Coyle–Ondrej Kase
Joakim Nordstrom–Sean Kuraly–Chris Wagner
Scratched/minors: Karson Kuhlman, Anton Blidh, Par Lindholm
This situation might be more favorable for Kase since he’d likely get better matchups against opposing third lines than second. During the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Heinen-Coyle-Marcus Johansson line arguably was their best trio, in part because they had three players there with top six talent. Might they be able to find similar productivity on both ends once more using Kase with Bjork and Coyle? It’s possible. Heinen or Bjork could fit in on the second line in this scenario, but both are left shots and Heinen typically has fared better playing on his off side than Bjork.
With everyone available, it seems like Bjork, Kuhlman and Heinen ultimately would be competing for two spots between the second and third line. Of course, the Bruins adding another player ahead of the deadline would shake things up even more, but if this is the group the Bruins decide to move forward with, they’ll still have plenty of quality options up front.
