Going into the 2023-24 season, it was hard to know what to expect when it came to centermen for the Boston Bruins following the retirements of first Patrice Bergeron and shortly thereafter David Krejci. In fact, early on in October, NBC Sports Boston opined that the Bruins success could be determined by how effective their centers were.
As it turned it out, despite not winning as many games as the season before, Boston was more successful and was not knocked out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but instead in the second round by the eventual-Stanley-Cup-champion Florida Panthers.
Despite the signing of Elias Lindholm and the existing centers the Bruins have in place, it will be curious to see whether fans will see a full season of John Beecher, a center who split time between Boston and the Providence Bruins in the 2023-24 season.
What are the Realistic Expectations for Beecher’s 2024-25 season?
It is tough to predict what Beecher’s 2024-25 is going to look like for a number of reasons. For one, in the 2023-24 season, he fit the mold as both a role player aand as a regular player when Boston was shorthanded down the stretch, so his role was never really defined.
For another, going into 2024-25 season, with the signing of Lindholm — and the possibility of a full season of Matthew Poitras — there appears to be a logjam at center, at least for the time being. The Bruins may have some problems filling out the forward position considering their losses to free agency and trades, but where they do not have issues is the center position and that is putting it mildly. In fact, they may have a surplus.
Beecher will most likely either start the season on the NHL roster but not play much to start, or he will start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL.) In his rookie season, he put up 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in 52 games. The problem that presents itself to Beecher is that the four front-runners for center positions are veterans of the team or the league in Lindholm, Charlie Coyle, Morgan Geekie, and (this is where it gets tricky) possibly a rotation of Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic, and Beecher.
Even if he does start on the fourth line, Beecher most likely see the least number of reps unless he is willing to play on the wing or wait for an injury to pop up. One advantage he does hold over the aforementioned Frederic is his goal-scoring focus, something Frederic does not have.
While Frederic did set career highs lastt season in goals and assists with 18 and 22, he focuses mostly on being a physical presence on the ice that other teams don’t want to try and mess with. With the uptick in his offensive numbers in the past two seasons, and the signing of Nikita Zadorov, perhaps, he will focus more on his offense.
From what the Bruins saw last season in Poitras, it is unlikely he will be sent back to the Ontario Hockey League this season. Given that Beecher has the ability to start the season in the AHL (unlike Poitras) Beecher could start on the farm or as an NHL healthy scratch to act as a backup if Poitras’ start is a bit sluggish coming off shoulder surgery.
The expectations to perform may be high for Beecher. Whether he lives up to them is another story.
