Well, the day has come. It is time to have the semi-annual “should the Boston Bruins move David Pastrnak to a different line?” discussion.
The Bruins’ secondary scoring has come around in recent games, but it’s not quite to the level it needs to be at this point.
One way Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has attempted to jump-start the offense in the past is by moving Pastrnak to the second line, where he had some chemistry with David Krejci. The absence of Krejci obviously would change the look of Pastrnak on the second line, but it could ease some of the burden off Charlie Coyle.
And while it’s an idea Cassidy is not dismissing, it’s not one he seems to be actively considering.
“I’ve always said I’ll do it when we’re healthy,” Cassidy told reporters Monday morning. “We’re trying to build chemistry on all the other lines, so now you’re taking away from one constant to fix something else. Let’s get every line to where we need to be and then we’ll start moving them around to see if it balances us better.
“That’s always been my thought process. … Unless nobody’s going, and that’s not the case. Anyway, it’ll probably happen at some point, I just want to make sure it’s the right time, right or wrong. It is a dangerous line, so you have to make sure whoever is going in there is up to the task, as well.”
Indeed, it has been a bumpy start for Bruins forwards from a health standpoint. Curtis Lazar missed the start of the season, Craig Smith has been in and out of the lineup for health reasons, and Nick Foligno missed weeks after getting hurt in the second game of the season. All of them are back now, with the only unhealthy forward being Trent Frederic.
Presumably, if the Bruins decided to move Pastrnak, he would go with Coyle and Taylor Hall on the second line. Then, Smith might make sense on the first line right wing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, while Foligno would go with Erik Haula and Jake DeBrusk.
It doesn’t sound like Cassidy has his finger on the trigger to make that move anytime soon, though.
