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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Bruins\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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“I\u2019m not going to throw that kid in and have him fail. I don\u2019t want to do that.”<\/h2>\n\n\tJames Hagens won’t make his debut on Saturday against Tampa. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe<\/em>\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\nJames Hagens might be up with the Bruins, but Boston\u2019s top prospect won\u2019t take to the ice for Saturday\u2019s matinee matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said that Hagens won\u2019t play against Tampa as Boston tries to clinch a playoff berth against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
A win in any capacity against the Bolts would punch Boston\u2019s ticket to the postseason after a one-year hiatus.<\/p>\n
A skilled playmaker like Hagens could conceivably help Boston get over the finish line against Tampa, but Sturm preached patience with the 19-year-old forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s his first time up here,\u201d \u00a0Sturm said. \u201c[Thursday] was a very exciting day. [Friday] was the first time where, OK, this is about hockey. We could see it in practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just needs time and to get used to our system. That\u2019s the biggest thing. I\u2019m not going to throw that kid in and have him fail. I don\u2019t want to do that. So he\u2019s on the right track. That\u2019s our next step and we will take it day by day and find the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bruins have three more regular-season games left on their docket, including a road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. A win against Tampa would conceivably open the door for Sturm to rest a few players and incorporate some younger skaters into the lineup to play out the stretch.<\/p>\n
But Sturm did not guarantee that Hagens will play in any of those three games before the postseason begins.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI\u2019ve got to feel comfortable doing it,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to do the best I can to make the right decision for this team, first of all, for this organization and, of course, for James. I do want him to play, so I\u2019m just going to take it day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Friday\u2019s practice, Hagens skated on a \u201cfifth\u201d line with a few other scratches in Alex Steeves and Lukas Reichel. Reichel was sent to Providence on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Based on Friday\u2019s line rushes, Mikey Eyssimont will draw back into the lineup on a third line alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Hagens did earn some reps on Boston\u2019s second power-play unit as well.<\/p>\n
As Bruins fans await Hagens\u2019s debut, Sturm stressed that the blue-chip prospect\u2019s presence should also light a fire under other forwards who have been stuck in a rut over the last few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wondering how they\u2019re thinking, and they\u2019re probably thinking \u2018Holy Moly, there\u2019s another guy coming up and that\u2019s going to be a spot.\u2019 It should motivate them,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cNot be like \u2018Here we go again.\u2019 No, they should fight for that spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s good. That\u2019s what we want. We\u2019re not going to hand it to anyone. Not James, either. He has to earn it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if Hagens won\u2019t be counted on to try and defeat the Bolts on Saturday, Bruins forward Morgan Geekie believes that the young forward will get his opportunity in short order.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great player \u2014 a lot more skill than I have,\u201d Geekie said of Hagens. \u00a0He\u2019s going to be \u00a0great for a long time. When you see a player with that kind of skill come in, it speaks for itself and you don\u2019t need to see much to know that he\u2019s good with the puck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re happy to have him here and excited to see him get in a game, whenever that may be. Everybody\u2019s here for him and to try to put him in the best position possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\n\n\t\t![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Headshot_Conor-645c0406ed6cb-scaled.jpg\")
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James Hagens might be up with the Bruins, but Boston\u2019s top prospect won\u2019t take to the ice for Saturday\u2019s matinee matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said that Hagens won\u2019t play against Tampa as Boston tries to clinch a playoff berth against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
A win in any capacity against the Bolts would punch Boston\u2019s ticket to the postseason after a one-year hiatus.<\/p>\n
A skilled playmaker like Hagens could conceivably help Boston get over the finish line against Tampa, but Sturm preached patience with the 19-year-old forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s his first time up here,\u201d \u00a0Sturm said. \u201c[Thursday] was a very exciting day. [Friday] was the first time where, OK, this is about hockey. We could see it in practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just needs time and to get used to our system. That\u2019s the biggest thing. I\u2019m not going to throw that kid in and have him fail. I don\u2019t want to do that. So he\u2019s on the right track. That\u2019s our next step and we will take it day by day and find the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bruins have three more regular-season games left on their docket, including a road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. A win against Tampa would conceivably open the door for Sturm to rest a few players and incorporate some younger skaters into the lineup to play out the stretch.<\/p>\n
But Sturm did not guarantee that Hagens will play in any of those three games before the postseason begins.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cI\u2019ve got to feel comfortable doing it,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to do the best I can to make the right decision for this team, first of all, for this organization and, of course, for James. I do want him to play, so I\u2019m just going to take it day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Friday\u2019s practice, Hagens skated on a \u201cfifth\u201d line with a few other scratches in Alex Steeves and Lukas Reichel. Reichel was sent to Providence on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Based on Friday\u2019s line rushes, Mikey Eyssimont will draw back into the lineup on a third line alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Hagens did earn some reps on Boston\u2019s second power-play unit as well.<\/p>\n
As Bruins fans await Hagens\u2019s debut, Sturm stressed that the blue-chip prospect\u2019s presence should also light a fire under other forwards who have been stuck in a rut over the last few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wondering how they\u2019re thinking, and they\u2019re probably thinking \u2018Holy Moly, there\u2019s another guy coming up and that\u2019s going to be a spot.\u2019 It should motivate them,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cNot be like \u2018Here we go again.\u2019 No, they should fight for that spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s good. That\u2019s what we want. We\u2019re not going to hand it to anyone. Not James, either. He has to earn it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if Hagens won\u2019t be counted on to try and defeat the Bolts on Saturday, Bruins forward Morgan Geekie believes that the young forward will get his opportunity in short order.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great player \u2014 a lot more skill than I have,\u201d Geekie said of Hagens. \u00a0He\u2019s going to be \u00a0great for a long time. When you see a player with that kind of skill come in, it speaks for itself and you don\u2019t need to see much to know that he\u2019s good with the puck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re happy to have him here and excited to see him get in a game, whenever that may be. Everybody\u2019s here for him and to try to put him in the best position possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
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