If you were hoping to see James Hagens on Saturday afternoon when the Bruins host the Lightning, you’ll need to look up to the ninth floor of TD Garden, where Hagens will join the rest of the Boston Bruins‘ healthy scratches.
“James will not play tomorrow and we’ll take it day by day,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm confirmed following Friday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “It’s [his] first time up here. Yesterday was a very exciting day, today was I think the first time [where it was like] ‘OK, this is about hockey.’ And you could see it, even in practice, he just needs time and to get used to our system.”
This is largely a continuation of what Sturm said about Hagens following his signing earlier this week, and after Thursday’s optional skate. Sturm has made it clear that the Bruins do not want to put the 19-year-old Hagens into their lineup if it’s anything short of what they view as the right time and right situation.
“That’s the biggest thing: We’re not going to throw that kid in and fail,” Sturm said. “I don’t want to do that. He’s on the right track, that’s our next step, and we’ll take it day by day and find the right time.”
Now, the problem here is that the Bruins are effectively running out of daylight with their regular season schedule.
Saturday against Tampa will be Game 80, Sunday in Columbus will be Game 81, and then the Bruins will wrap up their regular season Tuesday against the Devils. To add to that: Saturday’s game will be a 12:30 p.m. start, which means there’s no morning skate. Sunday in Columbus will be a 6 p.m. puck drop, and with it being the second leg of a back-to-back, there will not be a morning skate for that game either. That basically leaves one practice day and one morning skate ahead of Game 82 for Hagens to get up to speed with their system before the regular season ends.
“I really want him to play, but I gotta feel comfortable doing it,” Sturm, whose team has dropped four straight (0-2-2), said. “I’m trying to do the best I can to make the right decision for this team, this organization, and of course for James.
“I do want him to play.”
In a perfect world, the Bruins take care of business on Saturday and finally and officially clinch a playoff berth. That’s all they would need, too, as their magic number sits at two points. Get those points against the Lightning (losses in three straight) and that would make the idea of throwing him for some on-the-fly learning in Sunday’s game in Columbus a bit more palatable, one would think.
It’s clear where Hagens’ competition is, and it’s on that third-line left wing spot, which has featured a revolving door of Mikey Eyssimont, Alex Steeves, and most recently 2026 trade deadline addition Lukas Reichel. On Saturday, it will be Eyssimont (scratched in two straight games and with one assist in nine games since the Olympic break) who gets yet another opportunity to earn his spot.
“It should motivate them,” Sturm said of that internal competition. “They should fight for that spot, and that’s good. That’s what we want. We’re not going to hand it to anyone. Not James either, so he needs to earn it, too.”
Hagens, for what it’s worth, said he’s not worried about lineup decisions and will instead be where his feet are planted. But that’s not going to be enough for a fanbase dying for a glimpse at who they hope is their next franchise pillar.
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