Marco Sturm is giving the Boston Bruins' younger players a chance to prove themselves, and Matt Poitras is taking full advantage of it.
Poitras signed a one-year, two-way deal on the day training camp opened, and one day later told reporters that he needs to "prove to everybody that I can be in the lineup every night." It was not all smooth sailing, though. He suffered a lower-body injury during training camp and missed the first three regular-season games before playing in the last six.
Ahead of his first game, Sturm said he was looking to "see [Poitras'] strengths, and I think just being smart, and skate." Six games later, Sturm is happy with what he's seen out of the 22-year-old center.
"Yeah, he's been solid, and that's all I'm asking for," Sturm said of Poitras after Saturday's game in Los Angeles. "I'm not asking for big points and goals, whatever. No, I want him to just do [his] job, and the rest will come automatically."
In his first five games of the season, Poitras centered the fourth line. He skated alongside Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, but with Pavel Zacha sidelined by an upper-body injury, Poitras moved into a top-six role.
#later
Poitras signed a one-year, two-way deal on the day training camp opened, and one day later told reporters that he needs to "prove to everybody that I can be in the lineup every night." It was not all smooth sailing, though. He suffered a lower-body injury during training camp and missed the first three regular-season games before playing in the last six.
Ahead of his first game, Sturm said he was looking to "see [Poitras'] strengths, and I think just being smart, and skate." Six games later, Sturm is happy with what he's seen out of the 22-year-old center.
"Yeah, he's been solid, and that's all I'm asking for," Sturm said of Poitras after Saturday's game in Los Angeles. "I'm not asking for big points and goals, whatever. No, I want him to just do [his] job, and the rest will come automatically."
In his first five games of the season, Poitras centered the fourth line. He skated alongside Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, but with Pavel Zacha sidelined by an upper-body injury, Poitras moved into a top-six role.
#later
16 hours ago
