Bruins News & Rumors: Chychrun, Carlo, Marchand

“I think depending on their health in the coming weeks or months, [Matt] Grzelcyk or Carlo could be in play for a guy like Chychrun,” the executive said. “Can you imagine a left side with – say they don’t trade Grzelcyk – Lindholm, Chychrun and him down the left?”

It’s no secret at this point that Chychrun will be on the move soon enough. The question remaining is where that trade will send him. The 24-year-old has yet to play this season due to a wrist injury, but began practicing with his Coyotes teammates earlier in the week. There are expected to be plenty of times in the market for him, which will make him a pretty pricy target.

Carlo Back Practicing

In a game a week ago against the Coyotes, Carlo took a solid check from O’Brien and was clearly shaken up. As it turned out, he suffered an upper-body injury from the collision and did not return to the contest. He has since been placed on the injured reserve and sat out of the Bruins’ past three games, though he may soon be ready for a return, as he was able to get back on the ice with his teammates at practice on Friday, albeit in a non-contact uniform.

“It is [good to see him]. It’s day-by-day and we’ll see how he progresses,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “We’ll get [Stralman] a couple of days of practice to get his skating and conditioning back and then he’ll just add some quality depth to what we have on our team.”

Carlo, 25, has become a very dependable player on the Bruins’ back end in recent years. This past season, he suited up for 79 games, scoring six goals and 15 points while averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time per game. Dealing with several other injuries already, the Bruins could really use him right now.

Marchand Making Steady Progress

The start to the 2022-23 season has been an impressive one for the Bruins, who currently have five wins through their first six games. Even more impressive is the fact that they have been forced to do so without Marchand, who is continuing to recover from offseason hip surgeries. While a return to the lineup isn’t imminent, he was able to get in his first practice with his teammates earlier this week.

“I feel really good,” Marchand said after getting off the ice. “It was more of a mental victory than anything. It’s been a long four months, and it was gonna be an easy practice for the guys, so I begged them enough to let me jump in there with them. It gets tiring and old being out there by yourself. (Charlie McAvoy’s) out there. But having a group of guys and being back with the team is a completely different feeling.”

Perhaps the most exciting of all this for Bruins fans is that Marchand seems to be feeling great and back to 100 percent health, which isn’t always the case after hip operations. While it may take some time for him to get back up to speed once he does return, he should have no problem being a major contributor to this team over the second half of the season.

Looking Ahead for the Bruins

Having wrapped up their current week with Saturday’s (Oct. 22) win over the Wild, the Bruins will have a few days rest before a game this coming Tuesday (Oct. 25) against the Dallas Stars. They will then have Wednesday (Oct. 26) off before concluding their week with a back-to-back set, the first coming Thursday (Oct. 27) night against the Detroit Red Wings, and the second coming Friday (Oct. 28) against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They will be looking to continue what has been a fantastic start to the 2022-23 campaign.