With the Bruins in the middle of training camp, some darkhorse candidates have emerged for a bottom-six role with Boston. Through 3 preseason games, there have been performances by some bottom six forwards that have caught the eye of Bruins management.
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Cole Koepke – The 6 foot 1, 203 lb, Left Wing from Two Harbors, Minnesota, has been productive in the preseason with a goal and an assist in 2 preseason games. Koepke is a former Tampa Bay Lightning skater who has played for the Lightning in the last two years with 3 points and 55 hits in 26 games. He’ll throw his body around and could fit nicely on the 4th-line left wing next to potential center Mark Kastelic, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark trade.
Riley Tufte – Another Minnesota boy, the 6 foot 6 Tufte is a former 1st-round pick of the Dallas Stars (25th overall) and has played parts of 3 seasons for Dallas and Colorado. Tufte has played 18 games with 3 points, 23 hits, and 6 blocks. The big left wing has a goal in 2 preseason games for the Bruins, and his large frame certainly fits the identity and size the Bruins have been looking for since they were eliminated in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the eventual champion, the Florida Panthers.
Trevor Kuntar – The Providence Bruins agitator was a bright spot for Boston in Rookie Camp and has carried that momentum into Training Camp with the Bruins. Kuntar is a pest, he’s always around the puck and the front of the net and brings a nastiness and competitiveness that could benefit a Bruins group with many nice guys. In 2 preseason games with Boston, the Buffalo, New York native has a goal, five hits, and three crosschecks to the back of Will Cuylle. He needs to improve at the faceoff circle if he sticks with the Bruins. Kuntar is 1 for 6 in draws so far this preseason. Kuntar plays an in-your-face style that Bruins fans would love.
Riley Duran – The fast, physical former Providence College Fryar has risen among the Bruins prospects since he was drafted in the sixth round in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Duran hasn’t found the score sheet in two preseason games, so he is on the outside looking in. He has a game that translates to the NHL and some within the hockey community believe his game is better suited to the NHL than the NCAA and the AHL. He still needs to make an impact at the NHL level to be given a chance to make the roster. It will be a challenge to win a spot, some of those around him have played better to this point.
Justin Brazeau – The New Liskeard, Ontario native may have the inside track for a roster spot. He burst onto the scene last season with five goals, two assists, 31 shots on goal, and 43 hits in 19 games with the Bruins, and then a goal and an assist in 9 playoff games. The 6 foot 5 winger is not a great skater and not overly physical, but he can possess pucks down low and has good hands around the net. If the Bruins are looking for a little more scoring punch in the bottom six to go with the speed and physicality of a John Beecher or a Mark Kastelic, Brazeau may be the best complimentary piece.
The time is running short for any of these players to push for a bottom-six role in Boston. Which of these players can do the most in their limited opportunity to show what they can do? What value do they have to the Bruins? Who best fits what Jim Montgomery is looking for from a 4th line player? Time will tell.
