BOSTON -- That slight breeze in the air this morning around 11:30 in Boston was not just the first day of Autumn wind. No, it was a collective sigh of relief surrounding the return of David Pastrnak to the Boston Bruins' practice on Monday.
Pastrnak missed the first four days of camp, tending to knee tendinitis. While the Bruins themselves downplayed Pastrnak's injury, nobody would be assuaged until the superstar returned.
With Pastrnak's return, the vision for Boston's roster became that much clearer. With just over two weeks until the season opener, the top six looks like this:
Morgan Geekie - Elias Lindholm - David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha - Casey Mittelstadt - Viktor Arvidsson
The top line is no surprise at all and could've been penciled in back on July 1. The trio of Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, and Morgan Geekie can singlehandedly change the fortunes of Boston's season if they're able to dominate at a higher level.
Today marked the first time Pavel Zacha skated as a winger in practice. Zacha has proven he's a top-six level player, so it'd be hard to make him a third-line center in any scenario. Likewise, if Boston wants to get the most out of Casey Mittelstadt, it'll need to be from the top six as well.
Once look back at Marco Sturm's previous comments sure seem to indicate he knew this was how things would shake out back when camp started. Sturm said then he loves Zacha as center, but he might have to play wing.
However, Sturm poured cold water over any takeaways from lines today. When specifically asked about Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson skating together, Sturm dismissed it and said today's practice alignment was solely for special teams, not 5-on-5 hockey.
In essence, that indicates Mittelstadt and Zacha still could be operating as the Bruins' middle-six centers. Whether it remains that way is still to b determined.
Right now, Fraser Minten remains stapled with Tanner Jeannot on his wing. Minten is a very strong candidate for a bottom-six role this year, aided by his strong play this training camp. Minten's loving every second of skating with Jeannot.
"It's great," said Minten after Monday's practice. "[Jeannot's] a great player, he's hard-working, he's tough and physical, and he makes the right plays. He's a smart player who knows his role to a tee and executes it really well. So, it's easy to play with him, and you know what you're getting, which is good."
Minten's had a very strong camp. Not only has he remained paired with Jeannot, but the duo also killed penalties throughout the special teams portion of practice. It's clear how highly the Bruins think of the 21-year-old, but whether it's enough to make the team remains to be seen.
Jeannot's the only locked-in member of Boston's presumptive third line. If Zacha slides down to center, it's likely because Matej Blumel or Alex Steeves won a top-six job outright alongside Mittelstadt and Arvidsson.
Blumel worked with the second power play unit alongside Mason Lohrei, Hampus Lindholm, Mittelstadt, and Arvidsson today, indicating Boston sees high potential in the forward.
Pastrnak heaved praise on his fellow Czech teammate, citing not only his skill and precise shot, but noted how good a skater Blumel's proven to be.
John Beecher skated with Poitras and Steeves this morning, a trio of players who could all easily be in the NHL this year, but are all competing with one another. Beecher worked with the penalty killers, while Poitras and Steeves worked on the man advantage.
The fourth line also seems set in stone. The trio of Mikey Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly, and Mark Kastelic flashed quick chemistry and have practiced exclusively together to this point. A hard-nosed, physical fourth line with speed and scoring touch would be more than ideal for Boston.
Defensively, nothing's changed. On October 8, barring something unforeseen, the Bruins will open the year with the defense looking like this:
Mason Lohrei - Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm - Andrew Peeke
Nikita Zadorov - Henri Jokiharju
Jordan Harris (Extra)
In net, following a night where Michael DiPietro allowed five goals, the Bruins rolled Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo together with DiPietro, Simon Zajicek, and Luke Cavallin in goal for group one.
That would indicate DiPietro faces a major uphill battle at this point to make the Bruins.
During power play work, the Bruins went for a varied look. Initially, Boston lined up their top unit like this:
Pavel Zacha
David Pastrnak - Elias Lindholm - Morgan Geekie
Charlie McAvoy (QB)
Despite that, the four forwards constantly rotated. Most notably, Pastrnak took turns going net front, lining up in the bumper, and constantly shifted locations. It's hard to call the shifting anything but intentional to try and create unpredictability on the man advantage.
The second unit looked like this:
Casey Mittelstadt
Mason Lohrei - Viktor Arvidsson - Matej Blumel
Hampus Lindholm (QB)
Immediately, Blumel's vision stuck out. Despite not every pass getting through, the shiftiness and creativity of the player were quite apparent. Blumel possesses so much skill, it's just going to be a matter of it translating.
Elsewhere, Lohrei and Lindholm sharing a unit will create some intriguing looks as well. Both players have strong shots and could wreak havoc. Arvidsson will do quite well in the bumper.
No matter what the takeaways are, the best way to leave this is to remember Sturm's words. This will all change, and none of it means anything just yet. But with camp continuing to roll on and the season getting closer, it'll add more weight each day.