Although the Boston Bruins got a big comeback win against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 30, it came with a big price. Matt Grzelcyk left the contest early after suffering an upper-body injury. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters following the game that the Massachusetts native is expected to miss the next couple of weeks because of it. Due to this, the Bruins are likely to call up a defenseman. Let’s discuss three of their top options now.
Mason Lohrei
This Grzelcyk injury opens the door to a potential Mason Lohrei call-up. The Louisiana native impressed during the preseason and was close to making the Bruins’ opening night roster, so he is a clear candidate for a promotion. He also has been off to a strong start with the Providence Bruins this season, posting four assists and a plus-2 rating in seven games played.
There is no question that Bruins fans would love to see Lohrei get into his first NHL regular-season action. The 22-year-old has been praised for his offensive skills, physicality, and steady defensive play at the lower levels. With that, he has the potential to blossom into a top-four defenseman later down the road, so it would be great to see the top Bruins prospect get his first chance.
We will need to wait and see if Lohrei ends up joining the NHL squad from here. There is a clear opening for him, but the Bruins also have two experienced defensemen who they could opt to bring up, too. Let’s go over them now.
Ian Mitchell
When noting that Ian Mitchell made the NHL roster out of training camp, he surely should get some consideration for a call-up. While he is a right-shot defenseman, he has experience playing on his off-side, so he is an option.
Mitchell has played in two games for Boston this season, where he has an assist and a plus-1 rating. Overall, he had some decent moments while with the NHL club, but defensive miscues likely played a role in his waiver placement earlier this season. Yet, with Grzelcyk now expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks, this could give Mitchell the opportunity to get a second chance with the NHL squad.
Mitchell played in a career-high 35 games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, posting one goal and eight points. Overall, he is serviceable when utilized on the bottom pairing, but time will tell if the Bruins end up calling him back up to the NHL roster from here.
Jakub Zboril
A Jakub Zboril call-up could also be in the cards. The 2015 first-round may not have made the NHL roster for the start of the season, but he is a very familiar face who played for head coach Jim Montgomery last season. His familiarity with Montgomery’s system and being a left-shot defenseman could certainly help his odds of being called up to the NHL roster.
Zboril was primarily an extra defenseman last season and got into game action when injuries occurred, like Grzelcyk’s current one. In 22 games last season for the Bruins, the 26-year-old had one goal, four points, and a minus-1 rating. Although he did not have the best of seasons, he is a serviceable depth option with a decent amount of NHL experience. Thus, we should not rule out the possibility of him getting another crack on the NHL roster.
Zboril made appearances with the Bruins in each of the last four seasons, where he has posted one goal, 16 points, and an even plus/minus rating. We will need to wait and see if he gets the chance to improve upon these numbers with Grzelcyk now sidelined.
Nevertheless, it will be intriguing to see what the Bruins do in response to this Grzelcyk injury. They have some decent call-up options, as Mitchell and Zboril have NHL experience, while Lohrei has plenty of promise. Time will tell if one of these three gets called up from here.
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