A young center gets his chance with Boston
The Bruins have set their roster ahead of their season opener against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
Boston had a few question marks on who would make the roster, especially after Marc McLaughlin was among a number of players sent down to Providence. But the NHL announced opening rosters for the 2022-23 season for all franchises, and the Bruins roster can be viewed below:
FORWARDS
Patrice Bergeron
Charlie Coyle
Jake DeBrusk
Nick Foligno
Trent Frederic
A.J. Greer
Taylor Hall
David Krejci
Jakub Lauko
Tomas Nosek
David Pastrnak
Craig Smith
Jack Studnicka
Pavel Zacha
DEFENSE
Connor Clifton
Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort
Matt Grzelcyk
Hampus Lindholm
Mike Reilly
Jakub Zboril
GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Matt Filipe, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy were listed as “injured and/or non-roster.” Defenseman Anton Stralman is on a PTO agreement with the Bruins but has not officially signed with the team yet.
No surprise at the goaltender spot for Boston, and it looks like Grzelcyk and Hall are healthy enough to start the year and perhaps play in the season opener. Another injury that seemed to be concerning was Pastrnak, but it seems like he won’t be missing a significant amount of time with his inclusion on the opening roster.
Lauko was disappointed he didn’t get a shot with Boston last season, and it appears he has impressed head coach Jim Montgomery enough to earn a chance to prove himself. McLaughlin’s move to the AHL is Nosek’s gain as he will likely earn himself a spot on the Bruins fourth line, and he will presumably join Studnicka, who has had himself a solid preseason and camp to earn himself a shot in the NHL.
Puck drop for the Bruins’ opening game Wednesday is scheduled at 7 p.m. on TNT, but you can catch pregame coverage at 6 p.m. on NESN.