Boston Bruins must rely on young forwards without David Backes

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 5: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates with teammates after scoring his first NHL goal during the second period against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on October 5, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 5: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates with teammates after scoring his first NHL goal during the second period against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on October 5, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins turn to their young forwards to help them overcome DavidBackes being out for the next three to four weeks.

The Boston Bruins had a fascinating offseason. Despite barely making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016-17, they added virtually no one to their organization. Their biggest offseason move? Signing David Pastrnak to a six-year extension. Veteran forward David Backes will miss the next three to four weeks with diverticulitis, a disorder that affects the colon.

Usually, losing someone like him is bad. Backes might be aging, but he’s still a valuable player. The Bruins will have to rely on their young forwards. And if Opening Night is any indication, they’re in very capable hands.

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Overreacting to one game is silly. But the first two goals of the Bruins’ four goals against the Nashville Predators came from a 21-year-old (Pastrnak) and a 20-year-old (Jake DeBrusk). Add in 19-year-old defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s goal and Boston fans have to be pretty happy.

Forward Anders Bjork, who is barely old enough to drink alcohol legally in the United States, picked up a secondary assist on DeBrusk’s goal. Jake added an assist on McAvoy’s goal. The Bruins Opening Night lineup featured five players younger than 25 years old. If you include McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, that makes seven players. It’s a bit of a change from the Claude Julien era, to say the least.

What’s encouraging is the Bruins didn’t hand these players roles. Pastrnak obviously earned his role as a top-six forward last season. But DeBrusk and Bjork? They were long shots at best to make the NHL roster. Yet they made such an impression, the Bruins couldn’t help but keep them on the team. Carlo got tossed into the fire last season, often playing on the team’s top pairing with Zdeno Chara. McAvoy was impressive in the postseason.

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General Manager Don Sweeney got a lot of flack from media members (this writer included) for his inaction this offseason. He put a ton of faith in his young players to step up and take on larger roles. It’s only been one game, but so far, the kids are making Sweeney look smart.