Bruins Reassign Talbot To Providence; Vatrano Likely To Stay
By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins announced Monday that Max Talbot has been reassigned to the Providence Bruins in the AHL. In his recent three-game stint with the Bruins, Talbot registered five shots on goal, three hits, and three blocked shots with a -2 rating, averaging just over nine minutes of ice time.
Talbot's reassignment bodes well for Frank Vatrano, who is likely to stay with the team. The 21-year-old East Longmeadow, Mass. native has been stellar in his two games with the Bruins, scoring his first career NHL goal against Montreal and notching eight shots on goal in two games. He earned time skating on the top line with David Krejci and Loui Eriksson.
He has also played well in the other two zones and brought a fearless physical presence, which coach Claude Julien obviously loves out of his players - and based on the coach's comments, it sounds like Vatrano's continued strong play would earn him a longer-term spot on the roster.
"He's shown me that he's reliable in those areas - in our own end, coming back, backchecking," Julien told the Boston Globe. "He skates well. I'm extremely pleased with what I've seen from Frank."
23-year-old Alex Khokhlachev previously got a chance to play with the Krejci line, and was solid if uninspiring in his two-game call-up. If Vatrano's first two games are any indication, he has established himself as an NHL-caliber forward and a fit in Julien's mold - which does not bode well for Khokhlachev's chances of returning any time soon.
As speculated on Stanley Cup of Chowder, Talbot's reassignment is also a good sign for winger David Pastrnak, who has missed the last four games with a foot injury.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
