The Boston Bruins don't have to make a final decision on Matthew Poitras staying in the NHL for the whole 2023-24 season for four more games.
The 19-year-old center is able to play nine games before Boston must decide whether to keep him or send him back to the OHL (the AHL isn't an option).
But let's be honest. Sending him back to junior hockey at this stage would be a massive mistake.
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Poitras' hot start to the season continued Sunday night against the Ducks in Anaheim. He scored the first two goals of his pro career, and they were important ones, too.
The first tied the score at 6:29 of the third period shortly after the Ducks took a 1-0 advantage. Morgan Geekie made a nice feed to the low slot and Poitras capitalized on the scoring chance.
Poitras' second goal came less than four minutes later and gave the Bruins a 2-1 advantage. He got prime real estate in front of the net and was in position to pounce on a rebound.
The Bruins added an empty-net goal for a 3-1 victory, extending their unbeaten run and earning just the second 5-0-0 start in the 100-year history of the franchise.
"I think for me it's just building confidence," Poitras told NESN's Adam Pellerin postgame. "I'm the type of player who wants to hold on to pucks and make plays. I think part of my game is just being able to protect the puck well. When teams are playing man-on-man, I like to do some cutbacks and try to make some plays. I'm a playmaker. Just building confidence every game."
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Poitras has three points (two goals, one assist) and eight shots on net through five games. He's also holding his own in the faceoff circle. In addition to the points, he's also doing a great job generating looks at the net on a consistent basis. During 5-on-5 action, he's tied for second on the team with 12 scoring chances, his 15 shot attempts are tied for the fourth-most and he's drawn two penalties.
Poitras leads the Bruins in scoring chance percentage and high-danger scoring chance percentage at 5-on-5. The Bruins, as displayed in the chart below, consistently tilt the ice in their favor whenever Poitras hops over the boards for a shift.
He's poised and assertive with the puck, too, which is pretty encouraging for a young player with little experience and not a ton of size. His seven hits taken are tied for the most among B's forwards at 5-on-5 through five games. Teams are looking to knock Poitras off his game by being physical, and it hasn't fazed him.
"If you're going to produce in this league, you've got to be willing to play inside the dots and that's what I love about (Poitras)," Boston head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after Sunday's win. "Whether it's one-on-one battles in the corners or getting to the hard areas, he's willing to go to areas where you're going to have success."
Poitras' emergence is literally the best-case scenario for the Bruins. They desperately needed one of their young forward prospects to step up and make a meaningful impact on this year's team after the offseason departures of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. The fact that it's a center -- a position the B's have consistently failed to draft and develop at a high level over the last decade -- makes it even more impactful.
There will be growing pains along the way, every rookie goes through slumps. But it's abundantly clear that the Bruins need to keep Poitras around for the entire season.
It's management's job to give the coaching staff the best possible roster, and after five games, there's no way you can remove Poitras from the equation and say the best lineup is on the ice each night.