Charlie McAvoy is one game away from returning to the Bruins, and Marco Sturm admits finding him a spot will be a painful lineup call.
McAvoy has one game left on a six-game suspension for a slash on Buffalo's Zach Benson in last spring's playoffs. He's set to make his season debut Tuesday against San Jose.
"It's a good problem because you have a guy like Charlie back," Sturm said. "But I know how it feels, and there's a lot of D right now waiting for that opportunity."
Even Jonathan Aspirot got caught in the squeeze. "It was not even fair to get him out because he played actually pretty good, but we have too many right now."
Boston has managed fine without its top defenceman, sitting at 3-2-0 after a 6-1 win over Utah on Thursday.
He also comes back healthy, a change from last season when he played through a broken hand and a broken jaw. McAvoy still put up a career-high 61 points in 69 games.
Marco Sturm's Bruins have too many defencemen and one big decision
The candidates for the odd man out are easy to spot. Frederic Brunet, 23, has played just two games, while Aspirot has appeared in three.
Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Nikita Zadorov, William Borgen and Connor Clifton have all dressed in every game. Someone in that group might feel the squeeze too.
-
Sturm knows some players won't love it. "Some guys will be unhappy, but also, we need them to be ready for any time there's a call."
Brunet is the logical player to step aside. He's the youngest of the group, and keeping the veterans together gives the returning star the most stable landing spot.
It's like showing up to a pickup game with seven players for five spots. Everybody's good enough, and somebody still has to sit.
McAvoy, 28, has 361 points in 573 NHL games, all with Boston. Getting that back into the lineup is the kind of problem every coach wants.
Boston hosts Philadelphia on Saturday, McAvoy's final game in the press box. By Tuesday, someone else will be watching from up there.
Should Frederic Brunet be the one to sit when Charlie McAvoy returns?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Blood-curdling scene as Igor Shesterkin goes down with a scary leg injury
