In a jam-packed bottom six pool, McLaughlin's underdog mentality could prevail.
Marc McLaughlin is knocking on the door of a legitimate role in the NHL.
However, with more than 10 players battling for bottom six spots come training camp starting Sept. 20, the youngster’s chances of cracking the nightly Boston Bruins lineup feel low. Slim odds are nothing new to the North Billerica, Mass. native, though. Nothing has ever been given to McLaughlin; he’s earned every bit of his keep.
The Bruins re-signed McLaughlin in July to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level. The 24-year-old initially joined the organization in March 2022 as an undrafted free agent after skating at Boston College for four years, two of which he was captain for.
While Boston’s prospect pool is notoriously shallow, McLaughlin’s development after a full season in the AHL last year offered reassurance that he could blossom into the classic B’s fourth-liner: grinding, gritty and hard-working.
Mark Divver, of The New England Hockey Journal, joined Joe Haggerty on the “Pucks with Haggs” podcast on Sunday and discussed McLaughlin’s potential to permanently make it to ‘The Show.’
Out of the Providence Bruins’ roster, Divver pointed to McLaughlin as a guy he thought would have a better chance than his AHL counterparts to have a meaningful role in the NHL this season.
“His niche, I think, kind of is as a fourth line center, maybe a fourth line right wing,” Divver said. “Penalty kill, face-offs, all that stuff. That meat and potatoes stuff that a fourth liner in the NHL has got to be good at; that’s what his job was last year and he was pretty good at it.”
During his first full year in Providence, McLaughlin posted 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) through the 66-game 2022-23 campaign and displayed real strength in his two-way game.
The former Eagle was a standout at 2022 Training Camp, but since he was exempt from waivers, Boston had the freedom to send McLaughlin down to Providence without the risk of losing him.
McLaughlin has shown, in small sample size, that he can fill a bottom six spot for the Bruins and do it well. In 13 total games for the B’s, McLaughlin cashed in on three goals and simply took care of business.
“He’s not going to be that guy to put up surprising numbers, I don’t think. But, if you’re on the fourth line, they’re not looking for that,” Divver said. “ If you can go out and put up 15 goals well, hey, that’s great and that’ll earn you more money. But I don’t think that’s a prerequisite for him to win an NHL job at this point.”
There’s steep competition in the Bruins’ forward group this year with Morgan Geekie and Jesper Boqvist looking to slot into 3C and 4C as well as guys like Jakub Lauko, Milan Lucic, Trent Frederic and Alex Chiasson –– who is on a PTO –– aiming to fill out the wings.
Evidently, nothing is guaranteed for McLaughlin, but you can bet he’s going to give himself the best chance he can at elevating his professional career this season. Plus, who doesn’t love an underdog?
“He’s always an underdog, always,” Divver said. “His whole life he’s been hearing he’s been an underdog. He can’t do it, he doesn’t have this, he doesn’t have that. And yet, he always finds a way.”
