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It's tough to say exactly what the Bruins expected from Urho Vaakanainen throughout training camp and preseason, but I think's it's safe to say they did not expect what Vaakanainen has showed thus far.
"I like him. I thought he was very good tonight [Wednesday]. Joins the rush effectively, at the right times, pretty smart, gets through there clean. He’s probably figuring out some of the guys, what plays are there to be made, moves well at the offensive blue line," head coach Bruce Cassidy said after Wednesday's overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
"I think he doesn’t look like he gets many shots blocked, so I think he does a good job of finding the lane. It’s not always on net, but at least it’s through to the area, so good defender with his feet and stick."
The 19-year old Vaakanainen finished second among Bruins with 20:37 of time on ice, only trailing Charlie McAvoy's 21:44 on Wednesday. The 2017 first round draft pick finished with one shot on goal and two blocked shots while looking very comfortable for a 19-year old with very limited experience on North American Ice. Vaakanainen has spent his entire playing career in Finland.
With the Bruins set to kick the season off next week in Washington, Vaakanainen knows the final roster cuts are coming. He also knows who is ahead of him on the Bruins blue line. But the competition and lack of a real spot on the Bruins roster hasn't slowed him down at all.
The team seemingly has three options when it comes to Vaakanainen.
The first is to put him on the roster and mix him in the rotation that will be the Bruins fifth and sixth defensemen. Not the most ideal situation for a 19-year old that will need ice time to continue his development.
If the Bruins decide they rather see Vaakanainen get consistent playing time, sending him back to Finland for one more year could work. This option would allow him to continue to grow on the larger sized ice and do so in a familiar setting.
The option that makes the most sense to me is signing Vaakanainen to his entry level contract and assigning him to Providence. A move to the AHL gives Vaakanainen the opportunity for consistent playing time, time to develop his game at the professional level in North America, and compete against players who have NHL experience, or soon will.
If Vaakanainen is indeed sent back to Finland, he certainly left his mark on Bruins management. His impressive performance this month has pushed his name to the top of the Bruins prospect list and surely helped him jump up several spots on the Bruins depth chart.
The youngster has been happy with his play for sure, but he also knows that as he grows as a professional, he has much to still work on.
"I think I did well, but I’m a young kid so there’s a lot to prove, but I think I handle it well," Vaakanainen said of his month so far. "I mean, just try to be hard with the stick. Maybe I’m not that physical like with my body and stuff, but you know, I just try to be hard with my stick and have some skill in the corners so I can get the puck out there."
Practice update
The Bruins lines at Friday's practice may be a preview of what they will look like in the season opener at Wednesday. They were:
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
DeBrusk-Krejci-Heinen
Donato-Kuraly-Backes
Nordstrom-Wagner-Acciari
Chara-McAvoy
Krug-Carlo
Moore-Miller
Cehlarik, Frederic and Bjork made up the extra line while Vaakanainen and Kampfer made up the extra defensive pairing.
Matt Grzelcyk was given the day off with a lower-body injury. After it sounded like Bergeron would make his preseason debut tomorrow, it now appears he will be a no go against the Flyers. Both Cassidy and Bergeron confirmed the forward is still on track to be in the lineup against Washington.
More roster moves
On Friday the Bruins signed Jakub Lauko to a three-year entry-level contract and assigned him to Rouyn-Noranda of the QMJHL. The team also assigned Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Jordan Szwarz and Jakub Zboril to Providence. Goalie Zane McIntyre has been placed on waivers for the purposes of also being sent to Providence.
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