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Bruins Report Card: Depth Forwards Look for Opportunity
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- Bruins Report Card: Depth Forwards Look for Opportunity
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Last summer, the Boston Bruins made a lot of roster changes. They brought in a wave of bottom-six forwards, including some AHL stars looking for a chance, then added another depth piece at the trade deadline.
Alex Steeves , Mikey Eyssimont , and Lukas Reichel each arrived in Boston with a fresh opportunity ahead of them. None of them were expected to carve out a top-six role, but they each brought a different style of play to Marco Sturm's lineup.
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Steeves joined the Bruins with just 14 games of NHL experience, earned a spot on the roster after his call-up from Providence, and signed a two-year extension. Eyssimont arrived with more experience under his belt, but struggled to play his game and found himself in and out of the lineup at the end of the season.
Don Sweeney made two moves at the trade deadline, and at the time, both were AHL moves. However, Reichel was brought up after a quick stint with Providence, made an immediate impression, and earned a longer look with the team.
ALEX STEEVES: B-
Season Stats: GP: 43; G: 9, A: 7, Pts: 16; +/-: +6, PIM: 34; ATOI: 11:56
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Playoff Stats: GP: 2; G: 0, A: 0, Pts: 0; +/-: even, PIM: 0; ATOI: 13:05
Expectations
Last summer, the Bruins took a gamble on one of the AHL's top scorers. Alex Steeves holds the Toronto Marlies' franchise record in goals, but left the Maple Leafs organization after four seasons. He scored 105 goals and 216 points with the Marlies, and only played in 14 games with the Leafs.
Steeves joined the Bruins looking for a new opportunity, one he did not have in Toronto. He had a shot during training camp, but did not land a roster spot on opening night. He was in the group of last cuts. However, Steeves was the first forward recalled from the P-Bruins , and he did not return.
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Season Review
Steeves was called up on November 8 ahead of two straight games against his old team. Instead of going back to the AHL, he played in 26 of the next 27 games with Boston. He scored in just his second game, settled in, then caught fire in late November. Steeves scored his first-career two-goal game before Thanksgiving, was bumped to the first line, and the goal scoring continued. He replaced an injured David Pastrnak , slotted in alongside Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm , and had a five-game stretch with five goals.
Marco Sturm moved him around the lineup, and said, "That's the nice part about him, he can play any line, he can play any side." While Steeves was brought up and started in a checking role, his goal scoring moved him up, something he embraces as part of his own identity. He also killed penalties and occasionally played on the second power play unit.
Steeves had three points (1-2–3) in his last 17 regular-season games, and his ninth and final goal of the season came at Raymond James Stadium . He played in five of the 25 games after the Olympic break, then jumped in for Games 5 and 6 of Round 1. He looked hungry to return, but did not leave a dent in either game.
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Steeves also brought a physical presence to the lineup. He ranked fourth on the team with 144 hits, even in 43 games played, and finished with 16.84 hits per 60 minutes.
Future
In January, the Bruins signed Steeves to a two-year extension with a $1.625 million cap hit. He is signed through the 2027-28 season, and he will be an unrestricted free agent when his contract ends.
While he struggled to stay in the lineup after signing his extension, Steeves proved to be a fit beforehand. He was a movable piece within Marco Sturm's system, and he showed he still has the goal-scoring and physicality that made him an appealing signing last summer.
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On breakup day, Steeves told the media that the second half of the season was "probably the most painful stretch of my career," and that he is going to use the pain as motivation for the upcoming season.
MIKEY EYSSIMONT: D+
Season Stats: GP: 56; G: 8, A: 10, Pts: 18; +/-: -3, PIM: 31; ATOI: 10:55
Playoff Stats: GP: 2; G: 0, A: 0, Pts: 0; +/-: even, PIM: 0; ATOI: 11:59
Expectations
Eyssimont signed a two-year deal last summer, joining the Bruins as a proven bottom-six forward looking for a fresh start. He plays like a pest who makes it difficult to play against; he did it against the Bruins for years with the Lightning . With the Lightning, Eyssimont was in a fourth-line role; the Bruins provided him an opportunity to take on a bigger role.
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His style of play aligned with Cam Neely's mention of "piss and vinegar" at the beginning of the year, and while not being a dynamic offensive threat, Eyssimont was brought in to solidify the bottom-six. After signing Eyssimont, Don Sweeney said that he wanted "him to be a pain in the ass for us."
Season Review
After an impressive showing in the preseason, Eyssimont started the season on the third line with Fraser Minten and Tanner Jeannot . He continued to impress early, but the line did not carry into November. Throughout the season, he rotated through the bottom six, scoring in flashes but never stuck with a specific set of linemates. He saw occasional power-play minutes and scored once on the man-advantage.
Eyssimont stayed healthy and played in 56 games, but he did not establish himself as the reliable third-line option the Bruins envisioned at the start of the season.
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In each of the past three seasons (one with 54 GP), Eyssimont finished with over 100 hits. This season, he finished with 54. While he showed signs of his physical game at times, the Bruins did not get the physicality Eyssimont was advertised to bring.
Eyssimont saw limited ice time toward the end of the season, drawing out of the lineup after Lukas Reichel was called up. He did play in the Bruins' last three games of the regular season, was benched in one of them, and his last point was an assist on March 3. Marco Sturm put him on the third line for the B's last two playoff games. Eyssimont said he was "chomping at the bit" to get in, but he did not make an impact.
Future
Eyssimont is under contract for another season, carrying a small cap hit of $1.45 million.
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There is no shortage of bottom-six forwards in Boston, and Eyssimont saw that toward the end of the season. With Steeves panning out, Reichel's acquisition, and James Hagens ' arrival, Eyssimont routinely skated with the scratches at practice and watched games from the press box.
The Bruins caught a glimpse of his physical identity, but they did not get the version of a younger Eyssimont. While Cam Neely noted the "piss and vinegar," and Don Sweeney wanted him to be a "pain in the ass," other forwards ultimately fit that role better as the season went on. The Bruins have talked about adding this summer, and while Eyssimont does not fit what they are looking for, he has another chance to play his game and win a roster spot.
LUKAS REICHEL: C+
Season Stats: GP: 10; G: 1, A: 2, Pts: 3; +/-: +2, PIM: 0; ATOI: 12:49
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Playoff Stats: GP: 1; G: 0, A: 0, Pts: 0; +/-: -2, PIM: 0; ATOI: 13:51
Expectations
The Bruins traded for Lukas Reichel at the trade deadline, acquiring the former first-rounder for a sixth-round pick.
Reichel started the season with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks . He did not find a fit there, spent more time in the AHL, and landed with the Bruins in March. At the time of the trade, Reichel was a few weeks removed from the Winter Olympics, where he potted two goals for Team Germany.
Marco Sturm noted his speed, something the Bruins want to add more of this summer, when Reichel was called up.
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Season Review
Reichel started in Providence and played in three games; he posted five points (1-4–5). He was called up on March 18, then played in the next eight games for Boston.
First impressions are the ones that matter most; Reichel had a goal (eventual game-winner) and an assist in his first game as a Bruin. After his two-point debut, Reichel recorded just one point in his final nine regular-season games.
He dressed for Game 4. Marco Sturm cited his speed , as well as needing a spark in the lineup. Nothing went in Boston's favor during that game, and Reichel finished with a minus-2 rating. He did not play in another playoff game.
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Though he has a small sample size, the Bruins brought him in to address a need. Don Sweeney said he did not make major moves at the deadline because the team earned the right to stay together, but bringing in Reichel added a quicker option for the Bruins to rotate in and out of the lineup.
Future
Before Reichel left for the IIHF World Championships , the Bruins announced a one-year extension worth $950,000. The extension gives the Bruins a longer look at Reichel, who is only 23 years old.
He only cost a sixth-round pick, and the Bruins have already made the investment worthwhile.
While the Bruins are looking for more help than Reichel in the speed department, having him as a bottom-six option going forward only strengthens the forwards.
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