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It’s a tense week in the American Hockey League (AHL). Every player must prepare for a playoff push, yet the trade deadline cloud hangs over them. The Providence Bruins are no exception, and their slow start on Wednesday night hinted that the team and maybe some of the players weren’t in the right headspace to play a last-place Hartford Wolf Pack (they trailed 2-0 but still won 3-2).
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“It’s the elephant in the room; it’s hard. I think at this level it’s harder because we’re so connected to the players and spend so much time with them, and there’s always a bigger mandate at the NHL level,” Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel noted after the game in a conversation with Hockey Hot Stove.
The Bruins sit in first place in the Atlantic Division, and the NHL team in Boston is in a playoff spot. This wasn’t what both teams expected when the season began, and with both teams playing above their weight, they are in a tough spot with the deadline around the corner.
The Boston Bruins Are in an Interesting Spot
The Bruins started the season 7-0, and the fascination with this team was how they looked like a group on a mission, knowing what it takes to get to the next level and win in the long run. “They see what’s in front of them, Boston is struggling, so that’s really important,” Mougenel noted after a 3-1 win on Oct. 31 over the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
The NHL team surprised everyone and is now in a good position to add to its roster. It puts any type of trade on the table, and for the Bruins, that might mean trading a top prospect like Dans Locmelis (who is out for the season but had 15 goals) or Matthew Poitras, the center who scored the game-winner on Wednesday. “For Poitras, he’s come from junior where he’s had a lot of success on outside ice, and he’s a young player. You have to earn your goals and fight for your ice,” Mougenel added on the prospect who has taken a big step forward in his development.
The Providence group might lose one or more top players if it means the NHL team can land a star. Robert Thomas is an unlikely target but the price for him, presumably, is James Hagens and an AHL prospect. The next tier, a player like Justin Faulk or Johnathan Kovecevic, might cost one player. So, this group, which has had a remarkable season, might move on from a key piece just as the season itself heats up, and teams prepare for playoff pushes.
How The AHL Team is Handling The Pressure
Many teams will claim they ignore the outside noise. This time of year, there’s so much floating around that it’s easy, on a basic level, to do that. That said, in the big picture, these AHL teams know what’s around the corner, and it’s the elephant in the room (as Mougenel noted).
The teams that have success are the ones with the right culture in place. Every coach preaches a next man up mentality or talks about the turnover in the league, and that players must buy in but for the Bruins, it’s about having the right players to set the tone every night. “The standard and the foundation that we created, that’s a big part of it,” Mougenel stated.
Patrick Brown, Riley Turfe, and Matej Blumel form the Bruins top line, and the trio of veterans fuels the offense. More importantly, they establish a winning culture that allows prospects to develop and play the right way.
A player like Georgii Merkulov can come into Providence with plenty of skill but not a physical presence or defensive play, and round out his game. Fast forward a few years, and Merkulov is the player showing Poitras and the other prospects how to forecheck, defend, backcheck, and score the dirty-area goals.
Providence Has Battled All Season; This Week is No Exception
The Bruins got off to a hot start and have kept it up throughout the season. Yes, they’ve lost skaters to the NHL or injuries yet, they’ve remained unfazed. The trade deadline is just another obstacle for them but a manageable one.
“There’s a lot of pride in our room,” Mougenel added after the latest game, the last before the Friday deadline. The Bruins have a lot of character in the room and behind the bench, and it’s why this week, while a tough one, is one they’ll handle. It’s one that the Bruins can take care of on their way to a successful AHL season, which by default, is helping the prospects take significant strides towards the NHL.
