Flavin Media

If you have listened to most Bruins fans’ outlooks on this team over the past year, you’ve definitely heard optimism around centerman Matthew Poitras. Is this optimism worth carrying? There are two very different ways Poitras’ career with us could go.

The optimism around this centerman stems from his age and his ability to produce points at a good pace in his first stretch of NHL games. He is touted as a playmaker more than anything, so with the departures of mainstays like Bergeron and Krejci two years ago, it’s easy to place positive anticipation on a start like Poitras’.

However, the reality of this player is that, although he is up to around 185 pounds so far this camp, his height and weight are going to have to keep up with his playmaking ability. We saw glimpses of this struggle before he went down with a season-ending injury, so it’s fair to be negative, if anything, about Poitras’ current status.

Unless Poitras’ playmaking ability is that much more impactful and his size holds up, he could be a bottom-dweller pretty fast.