Eyebrows were raised when Bruins winger Lukas Reichel left Bruins practice with a bag and a bundle of sticks in his grasp Friday afternoon.
And while Bruins head coach Marco Sturm tried to play coy and would not confirm that Reichel was indeed sent down to AHL Providence, the Bruins themselves did confirm the assignment a few hours after their skate at Warrior Ice Arena.
Reichel’s move down to Providence comes after Reichel skated with James Hagens and Alex Steeves on what was essentially Boston’s fifth line at practice.
Originally with the Bruins on an emergency recall, Reichel made nine appearances for the Bruins since being called up, recording one goal and three points for the club. Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Bruins debut, but managed just one assist over the next eight games, and had been a healthy scratch in two of the Black and Gold’s last four games, including Tuesday night in Carolina.
The 23-year-old’s move back to the P-Bruins is expected to be a short one, though, as the club seems intent on simply getting back in game action while they can. The Bruins have three more games before the regular season ends, and Reichel is likely behind Hagens (and maybe even Steeves) on the proverbial depth chart when it comes to game reps ahead of what the B’s hope is a playoff appearance.
Reichel, who was acquired from the Canucks for a sixth-round draft pick at the deadline, has posted one goal and four points in three games with the P-Bruins.