MONTREAL – Well, Alex Khokhlachev got his chance.
The Bruins gave the Russian forward a couple of games to show what he could do in a top line with David Krejci and Loui Eriksson, and now he’s being sent back to Providence in exchange for sniping winger Frank Vatrano. The moves were both first spotted on the AHL transactions page on Friday afternoon, and would suggest that Vatrano, the Massachusetts native, will be in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Khokhlachev had three shots on net and a minus-1 rating in a pair of games, both losses, since David Pastrnak was put on the shelf with a foot contusion, and really wasn’t much of a factor at all in either game. Vatrano, on the other hand, has been impossible to ignore in Providence with 10 goals scored in 10 games, and a thoroughly dominant stretch to start his first full AHL season.
Vatrano is fifth in the AHL with his 12 points overall in 10 games, and leads the American League with his ridiculous goal-per-game pace a month into the season.
The strong start to the year combined with his excellent showing in his first NHL training camp made it a no-brainer that Vatrano would get an NHL look this season, and the Bruins have decided to do it sooner rather than later.