Matthew Poitras has been making a name for himself this preseason, but the 2022 Draft Pick is earning an impressive comparison from the captain of the Boston Bruins.
Prior to Tuesday’s preseason loss, Brad Marchand spoke to reporters and compared the 19-year-old to one of the league’s top players. Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner
“He reminds me a lot of Marner, the way that he plays. He’s smart on both sides of the puck. He’s really good with it, the way he moves and can dish it,” Marchand said via Boston.com. “Just reminds me of [Marner]. Similar where he’s not timid to get into the dirty areas and compete for pucks. He’s got great vision. He does a great job of cutting to the middle and buying himself some space. He’s able to find the quiet areas on the ice where he has an extra second to make a play. Even when he’s under pressure, and guys are kind of barreling down, he seems to find holes. He’s got great vision, for sure.”
That is quite the comparison from Marchand and one that Poitras should be proud of. In over 500 NHL games, Marner has 168 goals and 368 assists in his career. Last season was another successful one for the Maple Leaf as he racked up 30 goals and 69 assists in 80 games played.
Poitras has made a compelling case to earn an NHL roster spot. He has tallied two goals and two assists with one preseason game remaining. The center is coming off an impressive season in the OHL, as he scored 16 goals and 79 assists in 63 games with the Guelph Storm.
While fans have been calling for Poitras to make the NHL roster, the 19-year-old doesn’t know if he will be staying in the NHL but is pleased with what he has done.
“I don’t know, but I think I played pretty well, and I’ve done everything I can. I think I made it pretty difficult on them,” Poitras said via the Bruins official website.
With the loss of Patrice Bergeron, it seems like a changing of the guard is underway in Boston. Adding a young player such as Poitras (or even Mason Lohrei) to the NHL roster would display just how much the Bruins have changed.
These would be valuable minutes for Poitras as he looks to further his development. While playing in the OHL or AHL is great and worthwhile, nothing compares to NHL minutes.
It is hard to say that Poitras doesn’t deserve a roster spot. He has put in the work and has continued to perform well night in and night out this preseason. Bruins fans, along with Poitras, will be paying attention this weekend as Boston trims down its roster ahead of their season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 11.
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