David Pastrnak, by all accounts, looks sharp in practice, and that’s the best possible news for the Boston Bruins.
Due to the top-line right winger’s inability to join the team during training camp, it would be reasonable to expect Pastrnak would be a little slow out of the gate in the team’s skates in Toronto. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least on Day 1, and the door is not totally closed on the 24-year-old playing in the Bruins’ exhibition Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I thought he looked great, lots of energy, he’s flying around. I thought it rubbed off on his linemates,” Cassidy said Tuesday morning over Zoom. “Shot looked good. Couple of plays in tight he fumbled the puck. Timing, execution, we’re all going through that a little bit or had the first week, so that’s to be expected. I’m sure he’ll pick that up. But all in all, I’d give him an excellent grade. Like I said, he seemed very excited to be there and happy with his teammates again.”
“Thursday will be to be determined once we get through a little contact with him,” Cassidy had indicated earlier in his press conference. “I think his legs will be there, that wouldn’t be the issue. There will be a discussion with the player. How much time is enough to get ready? Do you feel you need the exhibition game? So his opinion will matter on that.”
Even Pastrnak was surprised by how good he felt back on the ice, and he too is hopeful that playing Thursday is in the cards.
“It was a lot of fun. It’s been a long wait. I felt really good, actually,” Pastrnak said. “I felt great. I was actually surprised, too. I love the game and will always be up to play. It’s probably not up to me. We’ll see what Butchy thinks of it, but right now I’m just focusing on feeling better every day. But I’m for sure up to (playing Thursday).”
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Here are some other notes from Tuesday:
— Of course, the reason that Pastrnak had been absent was that he was determined “unfit to play,” which is the league’s new designation for an absence of any kind.But after two weeks, the mystery of why he was gone finally was put to rest by Pastrnak himself.
Basically, the winger had to quarantine twice — once when he arrived in the United States from the Czech Republic, then again after taking part in a skate at a rink in Malden. But while Pastrnak’s situation now is more clear and effectively in the past, Ondrej Kase can’t say the same. He still isn’t with the team, and it’s not totally clear why.
— With Kase out though, Jack Studnicka has been seeing quite a few reps on the second line right wing. And reading between the lines, it appears that might now be his job to lose.
Essentially, Studnicka, Anders Bjork and Karson Kuhlman are competing for Boston’s middle six right wing roles, and Kase’s absence makes the battle a little more open.
— Zdeno Chara missed Monday’s practice due to a testing issue, but it appears he will be back on the ice for Tuesday’s session.
“Test never came back,” Cassidy said. “As I said before, I think they did a good job with the testing at Warrior. There’s a lot going through every day, but like I said. there were a few hiccups and the other day we had one for Zee. As of right now he’s scheduled to go on the ice. We’re now in a different testing procedure here in Toronto, a different company. S so far, so good. So I expect him to be out there unless he hears differently, and then obviously he’ll relay that to us. So I believe it’s just a one-day hiccup for him, but should be back.”
— Nick Ritchie is the only absence expected at Tuesday’s practice.
