New Question Emerges For Bruins After Matthew Poitras’ Breakout

Is Matthew Poitras going to be good enough to crack the Boston Bruins’ opening-night lineup?

That was a question many had entering training camp. It was hard seeing a 19-year-old being ready to take a veteran’s roster spot, and even harder to envision a spot for him among the top-six forwards on the Bruins roster. In five preseason contests, however, he made Boston’s decision easy.

Poitras is primed to join the Bruins’ lineup Oct. 11 against the Chicago Blackhawks, setting him up to make his debut alongside No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. If his placement during camp is any indication, he could even see minutes alongside the likes of Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak.

The new question is, how long can he stay?

Boston has a nine-game window where it can deploy Poitras without starting the clock on the first season of his entry-level contract.

“I think it’s really helpful,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said of the window, per Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “Because it does give you a little bit of an extended training camp with him.”

Poitras capped off a tremendous preseason by scoring the game-winning goal against the New York Rangers on Thursday. It was his team-leading third goal, which goes along with his two assists.

“I think it’s just about being comfortable and knowing that I can make plays out here,” Poitras said following the preseason finale, per team-provided video. “I can play out here. It’s about having good confidence and knowing I have the ability to play at this level.”

There’s a clear level to Poitras’ game that might not have been widely known prior to camp. He’s got the skill to play in the NHL, and certainly hasn’t shown any signs of trepidation with the puck on his stick. At this point, all that’s left for him to do is to continue playing at the level he has.