The Boston Bruins appear to be making a rather significant change to their line up.
The big news for the Bruins this week has been the highly anticipated return of superstar center Patrice Bergeron, still considered by many to be one of the best two way players in the game. Bergeron's return to the organization's top line now means that Cassidy has the opportunity to once again trot out his top line with all 3 players healthy, but that does not sound like it's in the cards.
According to a report from WEEI Sports, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy split up the organizations top line, which normally features Bergeron alongside wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, and will instead have two new top lines moving forward. Instead at practice the organizations top line featured Begeron centering the aforementioned Marchand as well as winger Danton Heinen. Dropping down to the second line is Pastrnak who will be centered by David Krejci, a player with whom he found a lot of success during Bergeron's absence from the line up. They were joined on the wing by Joakim Nordstrom but it sounds like both in Nordstrom's case as well as that of Heinen it may only be a temporary thing mlving forward.
“With Heinen it’s more about an opportunity for someone to get going offensively, whoever we put up there if it’s not David Pastrnak," said Cassidy as per WEEI. "o I think that line is defensive. Just putting Bergy on any line makes it a very good defensive line. So Heinen played up with Marshy last year at times, played in Marshy’s spot with Bergy when Marshy was suspended. He did OK there, so hopefully it translates for him.”
There are obviously a number of interesting options that Cassidy could go with here moving forward. For example young Jake DeBrusk remains sidelined as the result of an injury, but upon his return it would be no surprise to see him make the jump to one of the organizations top two lines. That is of course purely speculation on my part but I have no doubt that Cassidy intends to inject DeBrusk into a big role following his return, when it comes.
