Youngsters must build off success

BRUINS NOTEBOOK

With all the young players in the lineup, the Bruins are generally perceived as a team on the upswing. From Charlie McAvoy to Jake DeBrusk to Matt Grzelcyk to some other youngsters who may be poised to make the jump up from Providence next year, the B’s have well-stocked shelves.

But that doesn’t mean the B’s will be challenging for the Presidents’ Trophy again next year. The starting line will be the same for every team next October. There have been many youth teams which stumble after some initial success.

That was the thought that was planted in the Bruins’ heads in their exit meetings.

“I think the message going out to door with our players (Wednesday) a lot was, like last year’s, it’s not automatic you get back there,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “You can look around the league this year and look at Edmonton, Montreal, the Rangers . ... So, we have to put the work in this summer to prepare to be a playoff team again next year. Once we get there, then the idea is to go farther and learn from the experience this year. That’s our goal going forward, simply put.”

Early in the 1989-90 season, general manager Don Sweeney, then a defenseman, came to Boston from the Maine Mariners for good. That season, the B’s went to the Stanley Cup finals. Sweeney played 14 more years in the league and never got that far again.

“When you have the opportunity to get there and move on, you have to value the fact that you just might not get back again,” said Sweeney. “A couple of my former teammates in the room here will acknowledge that it’s sometimes hard. You think you have a team that can get there. You want to take a swing at it, you’re excited about it, and all of a sudden, it’s gone . ... That will be the challenge for our group going forward to recognize that through the course of this summer, that the work you just did learn from, benefit from it, but you better be prepared for the next challenge ahead of you.”

Closely monitored

David Backes suffered a concussion that knocked him out of Game 5 against Tampy Bay. He has suffered multiple brain injuries in his career.

Sweeney said he’ll be monitored closely, as any injured player would be.

“The protocols that the league and us follow are strict. And we’re not going to deviate from them,” said Sweeney. “Every player is different, every situation is different and we make sure the health of the player is paramount . . . . He felt better (Wednesday) and hopefully he’ll continue to feel better tomorrow and move forward. The health is always a concern.”

Tuuka’s time

Tuukka Rask played in 54 games this year, the fewest number of games since he played 36 in the lockout-shortened 48-game season in 2013.

“Tuukka, in the exit meeting, felt that he was fresh at the end of the year,” Cassidy said. “That’s the goal is to get him on his game, healthy as possible going into the playoffs. We map out his work. Over the years, we’ve found that’s a good number to stay within, just a little shy of that 60. It could tip up against it, maybe a little over. But, that’s kind of the number, and we were able to do that this year . ... Second part is the ability of the backup. Can he hang in there and get the job done? Clearly, Anton (Khudobin) did this year and more.”

Zoning in

Already spitballing adjustments with his assistants for next season, Cassidy said he’s looking at touching up the defensive zone coverage.

“Are we playing fast enough in our D-zone? We’ve had a certain layer mentality for years. A lot of teams are man-to-man. I like the layers, but maybe we need to tweak that so we can close on plays quicker to help our center icemen. That was an area of discussion with the coaches,” said Cassidy . . . .

McAvoy will join Team USA in the world championship in Denmark. David Pastrnak and David Krejci will play for the Czech Republic ....

Sweeney confirmed that assistant GM John Ferguson Jr. has talked to a couple of organizations about open GM jobs. It’s believed he most recently interviewed for the Minnesota Wild job. He said no team has approached the organization about any of his coaches.

“I expect our staffs to stay intact, but that could change at any minute, assuming we give permission depending on what the job is,” said Sweeney.