The Boston Bruins have an open question as to who will round out their bottom-six forward group come the start of this season. Their top two lines of Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, and Morgan Geekie are just about set. Trent Frederic, Matt Poitras, and Justin Brazeau all figure to be mainstays in the Bruins’ bottom six. This leaves three spots for players to dress on opening night. The Bruins should look to Max Jones, Johnny Beecher, and Fabian Lysell to round out their group of forwards. Here is why.
Max Jones
The Bruins picked up Jones in free agency this offseason in a signing that flew under the radar compared the those of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Jones is a big-bodied winger who has spent his entire career playing for the Anaheim Ducks. A first round pick in 2016, he has 31 goals and 31 assists in his 258 NHL games.
The Bruins should give Jones a serious look to start this season as they look to topple the Florida Panthers coming out of the Eastern Conference. In each of the past two postseasons, the Bruins have been eliminated by the team from the Sunshine State partially because of the fact they were dominated physically in both series. Jones plays a tough style of hockey that could prove valuable later in the season. It would be wise to see what he can bring to the table as early as possible.
Johnny Beecher
Beecher should be penciled in as the Bruins’ fourth-line center on opening night. He is not a lock to dress, as the Bruins have a few candidates for their fourth-line center position (namely newly-acquired Mark Kastelic and fellow youngster Georgii Merkulov), however Beecher should be considered the favorite heading into camp. He put up 10 points in 52 games last season, with his best hockey coming towards the end of the campaign. His upward trajectory paid off with meaningful minutes in the postseason, appearing in 12 of the Bruins’ 13 games and scoring a goal and an assist. The Bruins should be excited about Beecher’s development, and barring a surprise between now and the start of the season he should figure to be the Bruins fourth-line center.
Fabian Lysell
Bruins fans have been excited about Lysell since the team selected him 21st overall the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The Swede has a top-six skill set in the NHL and he put up 50 points in 56 games last year for the AHL’s Providence. Bruins At 21 years old he is still young, but his season in Providence in 2023-24 is indicative that he is a borderline NHLer, but has yet to play a regular-season game for the Bruins.
The Bruins should give Lysell a serious look. He would likely fit in best playing alongside Coyle and Marchand on the second line, however regardless of where they put him, it is time to give Lysell the chance to prove himself.
Bruins Will Have a Solid Bottom Six
The Bruins are set up to have a solid bottom six forward group this season. Frederic, Brazeau, Jones, and Beecher are all physical presences who will make the Bruins a harder team to play against than they were in seasons past. Lysell likely has the opportunity to play himself into an opening night roster spot, and if he does, Bruins fans should be excited about what their 2021 first round pick brings to the table. Beyond these names, Kastelic, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark trade, figures to also get a shot at playing meaningful NHL minutes for the Bruins this season.
