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Marco Sturm Faces Tough Bruins Lineup Decision With Charlie McAvoy Returning
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- Marco Sturm Faces Tough Bruins Lineup Decision With Charlie McAvoy Returning
Marco Sturm Faces Tough Bruins Lineup Decision With Charlie McAvoy Returning originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Boston Bruins could face a difficult lineup decision come Oct. 13 when Charlie McAvoy becomes eligible to return from his six-game suspension.
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McAvoy's return gives head coach Marco Sturm another key defenseman, but it also means someone else could be forced out of the lineup. With several defensemen competing for playing time, Sturm acknowledged that keeping everyone happy will be a challenge.
"It's a good problem because you have a guy like Charlie back, but I know how it feels, and there's a lot of [defensemen] right now waiting for that opportunity," Sturm said of the lineup decision.
Sturm pointed to the difficult position of players who have earned their opportunities, specifically mentioning Jonathan Aspirot. Despite playing well, the defenseman could still be the odd man out because of Boston's depth.
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"Even a guy like Aspi, it was not even fair to get him out because he played actually pretty good, but we have too many right now," Sturm said.
The Bruins will need their defensemen to remain ready even if they aren't in the lineup every night.
"That's going to be the challenge moving forward," Sturm said. "It's almost like if we're all healthy, it's almost like you have to get used to it because some guys will be unhappy, but also, we need them to be ready for any time there's a call."
McAvoy's return gives Boston another option on defense, but it also puts Sturm in the position of deciding which players will sit despite having contributed to the team.
