Ondrej Kase has not played since the second game of the NHL season, so it would be unreasonable to expect him to waltz back into not only a role as an impact player but a spot in the lineup altogether.
Kase has been working his way back from a concussion sustained against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 16. He is back to being a full participant in practice as of Friday, and he responded well Saturday. Because of that, signs are pointing toward him being able to return to game action in one of Boston's final two regular season games.
But once pegged to be a potential stabilizing winger in the middle six, Kase seems like an odd man out. The Taylor Hall-David Krejci-Craig Smith second line has been electric, while, when healthy, the Nick Ritchie-Sean Kuraly-Charlie Coyle third unit has worked out well.
So, finding a spot for Kase and having him be sharp enough to hit the ground running for the playoffs is a pretty tall task.
"Much tougher, right?" Cassidy said of finding a spot for Kase after detailing where Jaroslav Halak fits into the Bruins' upcoming plans. "Because Jaro has played this year, has played well, has played in the playoffs in the past, he's been through it, so the mental challenge of it he's been through. Kase, obviously, played for us last year in the playoffs, so he's been there. But it's pretty tough to hit the ground running after not playing for that long in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Particularly our division, we've got some big, physical teams, so that's one we're going to have to weigh carefully.
"Obviously, having the luxury of seeing him in some regular season games next week would be the first step towards better being able to make that decision whether he would be able to help us in the playoffs. It's just too much of an unknown right now, doesn't mean we wouldn't do it if we felt it gave us the best chance to win. But I think for everybody's sake, including his, he would want to play a little bit before. Obviously, one game is not going to change the whole world, or change his whole entire preparation for playoffs, but it's one more than none, right? So at least you have something to go by, and maybe two.
"So that's where we're at with Ondrej, that one is truly an unknown, and I don't know that we could make that (decision) without seeing him play at least a game or two next week. So, hopefully that's the case for everybody, he gets an opportunity, and then we'll sort it out from there."
Time will tell, but it's clear that Cassidy is not hellbent on shoehorning Kase into the lineup no matter what. And, truthfully, that is probably the best approach for both the team and the player.
Kase, unsurprisingly, is not in the lineup Saturday against the New York Rangers. Boston's final games of the regular season are Monday against the New York Islanders and Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.
