Jack Studnicka projects to be a top-nine center in the NHL. Presumably, that was part of the reason the Boston Bruins sent him down to the AHL after training camp, so that he didn't have to play on the fourth line or the wing.
But when Studnicka got his early call-up this season, the Bruins had him centering the fourth line Sunday. Should he stay in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Florida Panthers, that likely will be where he remains, with Tomas Nosek centering the second line.
Studnicka and Nosek swapping spots seemingly would be a practical move. That's unlikely to happen, though, and head coach Bruce Cassidy made the rationale clear.
"They need to learn that part of the game if they want to play," Cassidy said of Studnicka. "I don't like to constantly have, 'Here comes a good player over the boards, we have to get (Patrice Bergeron) out there.' These young kids have to learn to play against good players. It doesn't have to be every shift, every night for 82 games. But they have to be comfortable whether it's two, three, four times a night.
"You don't want to put them in positions to fail, but they should have some confidence if they get out there. That's what you’re going to see on the road, tougher matchups if the coach wants to expose those guys. You don't want to be a 15-minute-a-night player at home and then eight on the road, right? That becomes a challenge. So we're just trying to build those things into those guys' games if they can handle it."
Studnicka has been a really solid defensive forward in the AHL, particularly in shorthanded situations. There's plenty of reason to believe he can be equally impactful in the NHL. But Cassidy long has preached that the No. 1 way to stay in his lineup is by being a good defensive player, and just about every youngster -- Anders Bjork and Ryan Donato being some recent examples -- have had to prove they can hold their own in that area to get playing time.
Clearly, that belief is guiding the decision to keep Studnicka in the checking role for now.
