The opportunity facing some Boston Bruins players right now is one few have gotten.
Six players -- five forwards and one goalie -- are in the COVID-19 protocols as of Thursday afternoon. That includes three top-six forwards: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Craig Smith. That's a lot of minutes up for grabs Thursday night and beyond.
And in many ways, this upcoming stretch of games could represent a watershed moment for the Bruins not just in terms of their season, but their long-term vision altogether.
From the micro level, the Bruins need to play well in this current stretch of games. Their next three opponents are some of the worst teams in the NHL right now, and this is a huge opportunity to bank points. Take care of business, and the Bruins should be firmly in the playoff picture. Stumble, and the scratching and clawing will continue.
But this situation, where the Bruins will have to play so many youngsters, is largely unfamiliar for Boston teams of late since it's been in a win-now position. Generally, those aren't the teams trotting out young players and letting them fight through mistakes and be better for it. Instead, if someone isn't able to hack it from the second they hop over the boards, they'll get stapled to the bench, rightly or wrongly.
The Bruins right now, though, have no choice. Over the last day, the Bruins have called up Jack Studnicka, Oskar Steen and Jesper Froden, as well as goalie Kyle Keyser.
Studnicka and Steen are expected to start Thursday's game on the second line, while Froden will be on the fourth unit. All of that is subject to change as head coach Bruce Cassidy tries to find a fit.
Wherever they land, it's an opportunity for those players to plant a flag use those extended minutes to show they belong in the NHL. Studnicka has been on the precipice of becoming an NHL regular. If he makes an impact Thursday, it could leave a lasting impression for a historically uneven player. Steen has been a sparkplug that has looked good in limited action, but has yet to play a top-six role in an NHL game Froden, at 27, is a more complete product, and this is a chance for him to show that he can be as productive a player in the NHL as he was the AHL and SHL.
Teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators in recent seasons have had opportunities to play their unknowns in heavy doses and be patient, a luxury the Bruins don't have. Even if the circumstances aren't ideal, it nonetheless is a chance for the Bruins to figure out if these are some of the players they can bank on long term.
When it comes time to determine who to target at the trade deadline and in free agency, Don Sweeney will have to think back to what he saw from Studnicka and the like during this stretch to determine what they have in the pipeline.
The Bruins let Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug walk in 2020 because they wanted to see what they had in Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon. That's easier to do on defense than at forward, so this is as good of an opportunity as the Bruins ever will get to test some players up front.
Now, the job is for the players to make good use of the opportunity.
