The Bruins have had multiple stars don the Spoked-B, but there are others who fans cling to as the quintessential players to grace the Black and Gold.
Boston on Monday traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Mark Kastelic, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and a first-round pick in this year’s draft. The deal marked the end of the goalie tandem with Jeremy Swayman, who ascends to the No. 1 role for the Bruins, and it gave general manager Don Sweeney and his team more cap space to work with in the offseason.
Korpisalo profiles as a decent backup for Swayman, but Kastelic could be the sneaky grab of the trade. The 25-year-old didn’t light up the stat sheet during his three-year tenure with the Senators; he scored 14 goals and recorded 11 assists for 25 points in 144 games.
However, an important stat last season was his 54.5% faceoff win mark and he’s won 56.3% of his faceoffs in his career. In contrast, Pavel Zacha and John Beecher were the only Bruins who won over 54% of their faceoffs last season. It’s why Beecher became a key playoff contributor and also what led to the B’s troubles in the postseason.
Kastelic and Beecher both can play center or on the wing, so the former Ottawa forward’s likely placement on the fourth line shouldn’t deter Beecher’s development. And at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Kastelic should provide the physical presence that was much needed against the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. His youth also is a plus compared to Pat Maroon, whose physicality made him a fan favorite among Bruins fans.
The center also is not all show as he’s logged plenty of fights in his NHL career. It shouldn’t take the TD Garden crowd too long to appreciate Kastelic’s physicality and willingness to drop the gloves.
Kastelic also has personal connections to Boston. His father Ed Kastelic played for the Hartford Whalers during the peak of their rivalry against the Bruins. Mark Kastelic’s grandfather Pat Stapleton donned the Spoked-B from 1961-63.
Boston will have enough flexibility to add more to the roster when free agency starts next Monday, and the acquisition of Kastelic could hint at acquiring more grit that could prove valuable in the postseason.
