Zboril Looking to Grab Hold of Opportunity

BOSTON - Left, right, or center, Jim Montgomery likes what he sees.
No matter which side of the ice blue liner Jakub Zboril has lined up on so far this preseason, Boston's new bench boss has been impressed.
"He's looked really good on the right side, really good on the left side," Montgomery said following Monday's training camp sessions at Warrior Ice Arena. "So, I don't see a difference so far. Now, I know it's easier, I think, to play - defending is a lot easier when you play your strong side and moving pucks. But he did a great job playing offside so far."

Zboril has not played in a regular-season game since Dec. 2, 2021, in Nashville when he suffered a torn ACL on an awkward play along the boards. The injury came at the worst of times for the defenseman, who was playing some of the best hockey of his professional career, while finally beginning to establish himself as an everyday NHLer.
Now, some nine months after the injury, Zboril is back in the mix and looking to, once again, prove that he belongs with the big club.
"I was just super happy to get out there again," said Zboril, who played a game-high 25:05 in the preseason opener on Saturday night in Philadelphia. "I was really excited, and I think it showed, especially in the first period. I got into a couple situations that maybe I didn't have to. But overall, I think I played a really good game. It was just really special to be out there again."
Despite missing such significant time, the 25-year-old does not feel like he's "out of the groove" to start training camp.
"That's on the positive side," said Zboril. "I feel like I just have to keep going, try my best, be confident with the puck, make good plays, and I think things will just pick up from there."

With Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk expected to be sidelined for the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Zboril knows there is opportunity for him to seize a spot within the B's six pack of defenseman. But for now, he's focusing less on being a fill-in and more on progressing his own game.
"I'm just, honestly, trying to focus on myself," said Zboril, who played 10 games with Boston last season and 54 for his career, including a high of 42 in 2020-21. "It's the same thing every year. Even if those guys were healthy right now, I would still need to be prepared for training camp and do my best and show myself in the best light possible. Just try to win my spot back."
And when it comes to, perhaps, switching to the right side, Zboril is just fine with that.
"I feel like I've played a decent amount of games on the right side. I'm kind of used to it by now," said Zboril. "If it happens again, I think I'm ready for it. Couple adjustments, like coming back on pucks, break out pucks; you're always on the right side.
"I kind of like it in O-zone when I get the puck, it's already on the forehand and I take a couple strides to the middle and everything just opens up a little bit quicker. I feel like I would do a pretty good job on the right side too."

Feeling Fresh

Nick Foligno is ready for a fresh start. He knows his first season in Black & Gold was not what anyone expected, but after a summer in which he was able to focus and train freely without injury or rehab getting in the way, he feels ready to show he can make an impact.
"Went back home to Canada, just reset…had a really good summer," said Foligno. "Good summer training, getting my mind right and coming in here ready to go and be the player I know I can be. So, I'm just feeling really good. Excited about the opportunity here with this group.
"We want to win. We feel like we fell short last year. I just want to make up for that with the guys we have coming in, [David] Krejci coming in. Now, there's an emphasis on obviously what we're trying to do here and with the group and new coach.
"It's exciting times, you can see it in everybody. So, I feel rejuvenated and excited and let's just get going with the group."
While he is not concentrating completely on the offensive side of his game, Foligno would like nothing more than to improve on his 2021-22 output (2-11-13 in 64 games).
"I mean to me two goals isn't what I expect," said Foligno. "I know I can score. I'm not worried about that. I think my track record speaks for itself, but it's just more about putting myself in positions to do that. I think last year, just like I said, I could never get going. And it was just one of those years. You just learn from it, you put it behind you and you get ready to not have that and everything effect this year coming.
"I think I know what I bring and I know what I can do. And especially the way I feel right now. I'm looking forward to just helping this team when I go out there with a mindset of putting all that in the past, what happened last year, and just being a good player and teammate like I always have been.
"I'm feeling really good. I like my game. I like where it's trending and as we get going, it's harder and harder to judge on one preseason game or a couple of practices."

Montgomery, too, sees a player that is free of some of the obstacles that obstructed him heading into last season.
"I know that looking at last year, I don't think he was happy with how it went, for his own play I'm talking about. But the thing you have to realize when you sit back is, he had a big surgery in the offseason and didn't get to train the way he wants to," said Montgomery.
"You move to a new city - and these aren't excuses, but it is reality - you've moved here with your family and your wife, and you have kids…so you're overcoming a lot. You didn't get to train the way you want. You're making sure your family's comfortable - and he's a great family man - that's going to occupy part of your brain."
As such, Montgomery is hopeful that Foligno's blend of leadership off the ice and hard work on the ice will make him a valuable asset in the bottom six.
"Someone that has great leadership and someone that we're looking for to help create a clear identity on the third or fourth line as far as puck possession, being hard on people, being relentless on top of pucks," said Montgomery.
"I expect him to be a big part of what we do this year. And because of those things, I think he's playing a lot freer and he's getting on top of pucks. He's creating a lot of loose pucks. He's getting to the net front, and that's where he's made his whole career is at the net front in that third circle between the two circles where goals are scored."
Knowing that he's in a different role at this stage of his career, Foligno is aiming to grab hold of whatever tasks Montgomery puts in front of him.
"Last year, that was the hardest part was trying to find a role," said Foligno. "And then once I found one, it was just making sure we were good. And I thought that was the fourth line. We were a really solid line a lot of nights. So, yeah, the goals are important - and then when you have the opportunities, you've got to bury, that's part of this league. But it's also what do you do away from the puck, especially in the role you're asked - and I'm in a different role in my career now.
"It's making sure that I'm doing the things necessary to allow our line to be really good each and every night, but also helping the other guys that are doing the hard work and those guys whose jobs are to get the goals and whatnot. I still expect myself to bring offensive production. I know I can. That was disappointing last year, but I'm looking forward to doing that this year."

Wait, There's More

• Blue liner Hampus Lindholm was paired with fellow Swede Anton Stralman - signed to a PTO over the weekend - during Monday's camp session. "Lindholm, I think he's getting better every day - and he was good Day 1," said Montgomery. "And then Stralman, you can see that he's in really good shape and he ends plays and he makes good decisions with the puck. You know he's played a lot of games in this league and it showed today."
• Montgomery has been pleased with the showing of veteran depth forward A.J. Greer to this point in camp. The Boston University product dropped the gloves with Philly's Hayden Hodgson in the preseason opener on Saturday night after the Flyers' forward hit Boston blue liner Josiah Didier awkwardly in the corner. "We love that part of it, he's team first," said Montgomery. "But the way he's shooting the puck, the way he's forechecking, the way he's breaking out with speed, causing layers, causing the other team's D-men to back off, like, he's doing a lot of good things."
• Foligno on Montgomery's approach to training camp so far: "I really like him. He's got a really good way about him with respect to being able to be approachable and joking and also real serious in his meetings and the way he runs his practices. There's a time and a place to have a good time, but then when he gets to work, it's time to work…I think it's kind of infiltrated into the group already and we are enjoying ourselves, but we're out there to work and get better."
• Montgomery said that starting with Saturday's matinee against Philadelphia, more veterans will be mixed into the lineup. "I expect to play a lot of vets starting Saturday. And then obviously in the last game, the following Saturday," he said. "And they'll be mixed in on the two road games [next week]."
• Forward Eduards Tralmaks, who was injured after a leg-on-leg collision during Saturday's practice, is expected to miss roughly four weeks, according to Montgomery.

Video: Montgomery speaks with media on Monday at WIA

Monday's Practice Lineups

GROUP A
Forwards
Pavel Zacha - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Chris Wagner - Jack Studnicka - Fabian Lysell
Luke Toporowski - Georgii Merkulov/Samuel Asselin - Justin Brazeau
Defensemen
Hampus Lindholm - Anton Stralman
Derek Forbort - Kai Wissmann
Jakub Zboril - Brandon Carlo
Nick Wolff - Victor Berglund
Goalies
Jeremy Swayman
Kyle Keyser
Brandon Bussi
GROUP B
Forwards
Taylor Hall - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
A.J. Greer - Tomas Nosek - Marc McLaughlin
Nick Foligno - Joonna Koppanen - Vinni Lettieri
Jakub Lauko - Johnny Beecher - Oskar Steen/Matthew Poitras
Defensemen
Mike Reilly - Connor Clifton
Dan Renouf - Connor Carrick
Jack Ahcan - Josiah Didier
Michael Callahan - Jacob Wilson/Ryan Mast
Goalies
Linus Ullmark
Keith Kinkaid
Francois Brassard