BOSTON — Marco Sturm wasn’t sure how high Fraser Minten’s future ceiling is yet and Minten wasn’t worried about it.
“I just want to play in the NHL,” the Bruins rookie center said after Thursday’s win over the Flyers. Play me wherever. I don’t care.”
Minten can set his sights higher. His days in the AHL are likely well behind him. Minten has spent most of the season impressing his coaches, teammates and fans as Boston’s third-line center.
He’s been excellent defensively, a reliable penalty killer and better than expected offensively.
“That’s always been what I do. A bit of both. Responsible and trustworthy,” he said. “It’s a hard league to produce in. It takes time to figure out little things. Just trying to help out in every area.”
But on Thursday, with Elias Lindholm out with an injury, second-line center Pavel Zacha moved up to the top line and Minten slid into Zacha’s spot.
He responded with a goal and two assists, driving a line that scored three goals in Boston’s 6-3 win.
“He’s a heckuva player,” said Casey Mittelstadt, who played left wing on Minten’s line. “Very impressive for a young kid to fit in like that.”
Minten’s success is frustrating Maple Leafs fans. If the Bruins had only received Minten for Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline last year, it would feel like a good deal by Don Sweeney. But there’s a first-round pick coming too.
After Minten looked right at home as a top-six forward, could Bruins coach Marco Sturm project a future where he’s a fixture on a top-two line?
“He definitely has some upside. He’s only 21 years old. There’s still a lot to grow,” Marco Sturm said. “We’ll see. I’m just very, very happy with the way he’s been playing from the beginning of the year until now. I put him in different situations from the fourth line to the first line. You can see he can do it all. He definitely has something that a lot of people don’t have.”
Minten now has 14 goals and 15 assists and has the Bruins’ best plus-minus among forwards at +20.
Sturm thought Minten’s physical maturation will continue to aid his game.
“I think he just has to grow. He’s not a man yet. He’s still a kid. You can see it in his face. As soon as he gets a little bit bigger, he’s going to get faster too. And he’s got really good speed. I’m not concerned. That thing you can’t teach, he has it.”
