With a day of work lost, Bruce Cassidy's practice plans required some slight tweaks, leading him and his coaching staff to jam in a bit more than usual for Day 1 of training camp. Cassidy put his players through the paces during two 45-minute sessions, which included some conditioning and special teams work.
"That's just a bit of the challenge you get every once in a while," said Cassidy. "Having said that, these guys have been skating in Boston and the rookies have in the rookie camp, so they're not starting from scratch."
The limited practice time does, however, cost Cassidy some valuable observation time. With a number of young players - i.e. Trent Frederic, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, and Jack Studnicka - competing for roster spots, they now have one less opportunity to make an impression on the staff.
"[It] is a loss of a day for that part, we don't get to evaluate anybody. That's too bad," said Cassidy. "The guys that are in a little bit more competitive environment, they lose a day. It's not going to hurt Brad Marchand, he's going to enjoy his time here, he's on the team and he's going to play a big role.
"For the other guys it does - and for [the coaches]. When you ask me about being frustrated, it's no the delay; you lose a day of your eyes on these players when you kind of have a limited viewing as it is. It makes [Friday] and the next day that much more important."
