Impressive Prospect Depth Allows the Boston Bruins to Not Rush David Pastrnak

Boston Bruins fans doubtlessly want the flashy David Pastrnak on convenient display at the TD Garden and on regional television. They will have that access soon enough, though not until their desires are compatible with the player's needs and those of the organization.

The steadiness and sturdiness Pastrnak will need to brush his ceiling at the NHL level could require as much as a full season to develop. A surplus of more seasoned prospects should buy the organization’s latest first-round draft choice the requisite time to satisfy those needs.

New Englanders, or at least those in AHL markets, should still see an eyeful of Boston’s bona fide, top-six right-wing prospect. The Czech-born, Swedish-trained prodigy is producing in Providence, Rhode Island, leading the team with seven assists and nine points as he makes his transition to North American hockey.

But through one month of domestic development, the Bruins brass has borne witness to every shortcoming below the superficial stats. While there are no red flags to raise, there are reminders of the finer adjustments Pastrnak requires.

It is worth mentioning that Pastrnak's production has come in bunches. Over his first nine AHL outings, he has tallied multiple assists in three, tuned the mesh in two others and gone pointless in four others.

The latter cluster included Saturday’s 3-1 road win over the Springfield Falcons, though he bounced back in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win over St. John's, drawing himself a penalty shot and scoring the regulation equalizer on one of his five shots.

Based on P-Bruins bench boss Bruce Cassidy’s recent assessment, the feast-or-famine fluctuation on Pastrnak’s game log speaks to his learning requirements. The dynamic winger has pounced on readily available chances but has yet to create more on a consistent basis.

According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Cassidy said last Monday, “That’s kind of what he’s here for, to understand the game better, the position, so when he gets to the NHL, on the days the puck’s not finding him, he’s not all over the place.”

Cassidy noted that Pastrnak has favorably absorbed the constructive critiques and should progress with little difficulty given his attitude and skill set. The coach told Divver: “The kid takes stuff the right way. How much improvement will happen how quickly, I don’t know. But my take, I guess, is that he’s showing a lot of high-end skill and the ability to make plays. ... Still is learning to understand the game away from the puck.”

And add in the fact that Pastrnak currently has only 167 pounds to fill out his 6’0” frame. With more strength and learning in order, the Bruins need not prematurely tap into his potential in the thick of the 2014-15 season.

Based on the status of other forwards in the pipeline, they might not even feel the temptation to rush him. Boston’s current NHL roster has a natural right wing in Matt Fraser, who has been serving as the club’s spare striker.

Fraser dressed for the first three games of the parent club’s schedule, then put in a fourth appearance Oct. 18 in Buffalo. He subsequently went a full two weeks without game action, but as a fourth-year pro, the 204-pounder fits the role as he looks to punctuate his AHL graduation.

Fred Beckham/Associated Press

The fresh-legged Fraser gave the arrangement a little more credibility on Saturday, tallying two goals to spell the difference in Boston’s 4-2 victory over the Senators. His know-how and confidence clearly bested any rust.

One of the reasons Fraser has been the perpetual odd man out is the surprise emergence of Seth Griffith. The unlikely first-liner, who posted a 20-30-50 scoring log as a Providence rookie last winter, entered Saturday’s action tied for Boston’s lead with three goals despite playing in only nine of 13 games so far.

On the other end of the experiential spectrum, Simon Gagne is turning heads by acclimating to a depth role. He has seen action both on his natural left-side position and on his off-wing.

Even if the current arrangement grows stale, there are other logical reinforcements on the farm. Of those who were sporting spoked-Ps over the weekend, Ryan Spooner is in what should be his final preparatory stint.

Spooner, a third-year pro with 32 NHL games on his transcript, is back in the minors to log more experience on the wings. The natural center was recently the subject of South Coast Today’s Mick Colageo’s check-in post from Providence.

Colageo opined, “Perhaps Spooner, a left shot, would benefit from play stick-inside (right wing). ... Right wing also happened to be the Bruins’ greatest area of need going into the season.”

Given his 11 assists in 23 appearances last season, including nine in 20 from December through January, Spooner provoked mild surprise with his latest reassignment. With that said, he is closer to a full-time, all-around NHL caliber than any other forwards on Providence’s active roster.

Beyond Fraser and Spooner, the Bruins have another solid AHL veteran on the right side in Craig Cunningham. The P-Bruins' iron man (he only missed two of a possible 228 games the last three seasons) had a three-game stint with Boston in October.

Odds are he will have one or two more turns rotating between the two levels before this season is over. If he does not, it will likely be owed to stable circumstances with the NHL club and the resultant gridlock in the pipeline.

All of this strengthens the notion that the organization can afford Pastrnak as much time for refinement as he needs.

He has had one month’s worth of achievement while learning to withstand North American physicality and to dig for consistency. Now he needs to ensure that he enhances that first impression for a six-month stretch.

Depending on the game’s implications, an introduction to NHL game action on the final weekend of the season is a reasonable proposition. Other than that, the geographic core of the Bruins fanbase can expect a yearlong preview tour with multiple stops in the region’s minor league mansions.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics for this report were found via bruins.nhl.com and theahl.com.