It is official: the Boston Bruins will be without former New Jersey Devil Pavel Zacha for their Wednesday night matchup against the Devils in Newark. On the other side, defensemen Dougie Hamilton, a draft selection of the Boston Bruins way back when, is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral. Which, on paper, is unfortunate. Regardless of who you cheer for, injuries, especially to star players, removes some shine from a battle between two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
Now, despite the noticeable absences, tonight is still set to be a reunion of sorts. When one former New Jersey Devil leaves the lineup, another enters to take his place, at least potentially. According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, Jesper Boqvist was recalled from the Providence Bruins and skated as the extra forward during line rushes during Tuesday’s practice.
Boqvist, a center and former second-round selection of New Jersey, signed as a free agent with Boston this past summer. Fresh off a 10-11-21 season, which saw the Devils take a tremendous step forward and qualify for the playoffs, Boqvist became a salary cap casualty as New Jersey needed space to sign Timo Meier. Fortunate for Boston, dealing with the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci needed center depth.
Flashes during training camp provided a scope of Boqvist’s potential, but with the ascension of Matt Poitras and John Beecher, he was designated to Providence. Where in 24 contests has produced 14 points. His call-up provides yet another opportunity to showcase his worth as a full-time NHLer. After all, the best ability is availability.
Continuing with the trend, Amanda Stein, who covers the Devils, predicts Erik Haula will return to the lineup after suffering an upper-body injury earlier this month. Haula was signed by Boston in the summer of 2021 to help offset the absence of David Krejci who that season played professionally in his native Czechia. Ironically, in 2022 Haula was traded to New Jersey for Pavel Zacha, followed by David Krejci returning to Boston.
Haula instantly engrained himself as a key component to the success of the Devils. His 47 points in 2022-23 earned him a three-year $9.45 million dollar contract. Having battled injuries all season, Haula still managed 13 points in 21 games.
Not to be forgotten is Curtis Lazar, who spent portions of two seasons with the Bruins as part of the Taylor Hall trade with the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. A quintessential bottom-six forward, Lazar was dealt from the Vancouver Canucks to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline last season. Offensively, he is well on his way to eclipsing his offensive high water mark with the Bruins with eight points through 24 games.
