Why Bruce Cassidy Chose Jesper Froden To Fill In For Curtis Lazar

Jesper Froden will slot into the Bruins lineup as Boston faces the San Jose Sharks on the road Saturday night, and Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy is looking forward to getting another look at the 27-year-old.

Froden, a right-shot forward who signed with the Bruins in June out of the Swedish Hockey League, has spent much of the season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He ranks second on the P-Bruins with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists).

Saturday will mark Froden’s second NHL game. He appeared in a December road tilt against the New York Islanders, where he logged three hits and a block in a total of 12:59 on ice.

Against the Sharks, Froden will skate on the fourth line alongside Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek, replacing Curtis Lazar who is out with an upper-body injury.

Cassidy, speaking to reporters prior to Saturday’s game, explained what he is looking for from Froden and acknowledged his one appearance this season wasn’t the best to get a sense of his game.

“It wasn’t a good game to kind of rate his game simply because it was one of those COVID games and we weren’t sharp, I think the team was fatigued, so let’s put him in tonight,” Cassidy said, as seen on team-provided video. “I know he probably plays more of an offensive role in Providence, but let’s put him there for now and see how it works out, give that line a guy that’s maybe a little bit more creative than what they’re used to.”

Puck drop for Bruins-Sharks is at 10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN.