Newly acquired defenseman Hampus Lindholm was on the ice for his first practice with the Black & Gold on Wednesday and skated alongside Charlie McAvoy on Boston's top pairing. For now, that is where he will remain, though Cassidy said he is likely to try Lindholm with Brandon Carlo at some point before the end of the season in case that duo is needed come playoff time.
"We're gonna start him there…[Matt Grzelcyk] has played with Carlo. Let's see how Lindy goes with Charlie," said Cassidy. "And then over time, we will make that switch just to see what it looks like. If you know me, I probably like to see what everything looks like at some point. That's how you find out if there is some chemistry that you wouldn't otherwise know. If it's lights out for the next 19 games, yeah.
"Playoffs it might become a little more matchup-oriented when you're seeing the same team four to seven times, then what's a better fit? The intent right now is to keep him with Charlie and see how it goes."
With Lindholm entering the lineup, the Bruins' third defense pairing has become a bit of a competition with Derek Forbort, Mike Reilly, and Connor Clifton all expected to compete for playing time. During Wednesday's practice, it appeared that Reilly had a slight edge on Clifton for the right-side spot nex to Forbort.
"He needs to get reps there whether he's in or out [Thursday], we've got to make that call," Cassidy said of Reilly switching to his off side. "I think they're all doing a good job but it's a good problem to have. Cliffy had a hell of a game in Montreal. They're all going well. One of them is gonna be unhappy [on Thursday night].
"But the message is, 'Hey, we're all in it together and when it's your turn, be ready to go if you're the odd-man out. Keep the body language out of the room. We understand if you're disappointed if you're not in the lineup.'"
Bergeron, while noting he hasn't suited up against Lindholm that much over the years, said that when he has the 6-foot-4 blue liner has always been a handful to play against because of his hockey intelligence and ability to quickly shut down plays in the defensive zone.
"A player who's still young but he's been around for a while," said Bergeron. "He's got a lot of experience and also plays the game well. He's a really smart overall defenseman, and he seems like a great guy, a great fit so far…it seems like he brings a lot of energy, seems to be upbeat and a great player as well.
"I think he closes really fast on guys. Defensively, he doesn't work for no reason, meaning that he's always in good position. And I think he's good in transition…you can't really sustain pressure in the zone because he's always finding a way to kind of poke the puck out or break out or go back on the offense by making a smart play. And that's frustrating when you're playing against a guy like that."
With Lindholm and fellow defenseman Josh Brown now in the fold, Bergeron added that the team can shift its focus toward the stretch run now that the team is solidified.
"I think as a team, you do get a boost," said Bergeron. "I think it's nice to know this is our team and you can kind of look forward and get ready for the last stretch of the season. It's nice once the trade deadline is over and this is your squad and we can keep growing as a team, which I think we've been doing over the last few months for sure."
