Boston Bruins 2022-23 Training Camp Battles: Right Wing

For the last couple of seasons, right wing depth has been an issue for the Boston Bruins. In the final two months of the 2021-22 season, former coach Bruce Cassidy moved Jake DeBrusk from his off-side to the right wing on the first line and Nick Foligno played the right wing on the fourth line, like DeBrusk on his off-side.

The Bruins know what they have with David Pastrnak and Craig Smith in the middle six, but there are a few interesting names that are going to be worth keeping an eye on when training camp begins that could get a roster spot for first-year coach Jim Montgomery. Here is the first part of a series of articles heading into training camp looking at some training camp battles to keep an eye on.

DeBrusk, Pastrnak & Smith Expected to Be Top Three Right Wings

Brad Marchand will be out of the lineup to begin the season recovering from offseason hip surgery, which puts a big damper on the top-six. DeBrusk is expected to begin the season on Patrice Bergeron’s right side and Pastrnak on the second line with David Krejci and Taylor Hall. DeBrusk last season ended up with 25 goals and Pastrnak finished with 40. If healthy and in a contract season, there is no reason that Pastrnak should pass his total from a year ago, while DeBrusk is a wild card in terms of production.

Smith on the other hand has been disappointing in his first two seasons for the Black and Gold. A 20-goal scorer in five of his nine seasons with the Nashville Predators, he had 13 in the 56-game shortened 2020-21 season and 16 last season in 74 games. Like Pastrnak, Smith is in a contract year as his three-year, $9.3 million contract expires following the season. If the Bruins are going to survive the absences of Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk in the first two months of the season, Smith is going to have to produce.

Fourth-Line Spot up for Grabs

With the top three spots expected to be filled, there is going to be a battle in camp for the fourth-line spot and there are different ways that Montgomery can go. Here are some players that can earn an opening night roster spot against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 12. Foligno is in the mix, but there will be other and possibly better options that can emerge in training camp.

Fabian Lysell

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Bruins’ 21st overall pick in the 2021 Entry Draft Fabian Lysell and his hype got bigger with his performance in the…