While there’s still a possibility of more moves to come, the Bruins cut down their roster to the limit of 23 on Monday by sending Chris Wagner and Jack Studnicka to Providence and placing Curtis Lazar on injured reserve.

Both Wagner and John Moore cleared waivers on Sunday, but for now the Bruins have elected to keep Moore in Boston, giving the Bruins the eight defensemen they usually prefer to carry. Anton Blidh, who would require waivers to be sent back to Providence, remains on the Boston roster and is now the lone reserve forward.

Though Studnicka had a strong preseason to regain his status as the club’s top prospect, there was no room for him in the top nine with the three center spots taken by Patrice Bergeron, Charlie Coyle and free agent signee Erik Haula and there has been a reluctance to play him in a fourth-line role or on the right wing. And with the 22-year-old pivot still developing, the management and coaching staffs certainly want him to be playing hockey somewhere, if not Boston then Providence. It’s a good bet he’ll see Boston again before too long.

Coach Bruce Cassidy did not have any more clarity on how long Lazar will be out. Lazar had been set to be the fourth-line right wing before suffering an upper-body injury in the final preseason game last Wednesday when he crashed into the net. Cassidy said that the medical staff was waiting for inflammation to go down before a course of treatment – surgery being one option – could be decided.

“That’s going to affect the timeline,” said Cassidy.

Karson Kuhlman’s speed has essentially taken over Wagner’s physicality at the fourth-line right wing spot, though Cassidy would like to see a dash of Wagner’s game in Kuhlman. And the coach didn’t rule out Wagner coming back to retake the spot.

“We’re asking him to be a little greasier in that regard, maybe going to the net with more of a purpose when you have a chance to create some anxiety around the net. Playing a little bigger in terms of finishing checks,” said Cassidy. “He’ll arrive on time with a good stick and foot speed. He takes good angles. I think it’s tough for a smaller guy to impact (that way). But there are defensemen out there, like the (Matt Grzelcyks) of the world on other teams, that he can be physical against. Those are the areas where we try to encourage him. Sometimes he’ll drop off. He’ll lose some of that edge. … We’ve gone through that with (Trent Frederic) at times. It’s not unique to him. But he has been around a bit. So that’s going to be the ask for whoever is in that position. That’s why we’ve used different people. If it ends up being Wags again, with him there’s the same kind of drop-off. You’ve got to keep your pace and up and your physicality. That’s your job. It’s a tough one, but you’ve got to do it every night. And that’s the ask with Kuhlie.”

Kuhlman, who also would have required to be sent to Providence, believes he can improve that area of his game. At 5-feet-10, 190 pounds, Kuhlman concedes he will have to pick his spots.

“That, and it’s a little bit of a mentality. Going in every night, telling yourself you can play that way, greasy or gritty or whatever you want to call it, I think just going in with the mentality of bringing it every night will be what I’ve got to do,” said Kuhlman.

THE BRUINS ALREADY had one of the most explosive power-plays in the league, and now they’ve added Taylor Hall to the first unit at the net front position. It has the potential to be the best man-advantage in the league, with five legitimate scoring options.

But Cassidy stressed the importance of Hall not roaming too much.

“The other night (against Washington) he got away from the front of the net a little bit,” said Cassidy. “There’s times when we can run a drop-off play when he’s on the goal line and he can interchange with (Brad Marchand), they’re both left sticks who can go there. But at the end of the day, you can’t get too far away from the front of the net if that’s your responsibility. Simply because with our group, it tends to get there. … We’ve got to make sure we’ve got a puck recovery guy.”

While Hall said he’s happy to play his role, he also said there will be some fluidity to the process because of the nature of the game.

“It’s hockey right? I don’t think there are really defined spots. Obviously, off the faceoff, if we can get set up in our perfect alignment, I’m at goal line, I’m retrieving pucks. It doesn’t sound like a bad thing. It’s awesome to be on the unit with those guys. Whatever I can do to help, that’s what I want to do,” said Hall. “As you get more comfortable, you just start playing. I remember when (Torey) Krug was on the power play, he’d be goal line, he’d be behind the net sometimes. It just kind of happens. When you’re on the ice with good players, you make plays and read off each other. I think that’s a good thing for your overall game, too, just being out there with those guys. I don’t think I’d taken a shift with Marchie at all last year. It’s been nice to play give-and-go with him. It’s a lot of fun. I’m relishing the opportunity I have on that unit.”

THE BRUINS ARE fighting their way through a dead spot in their unusual schedule. Their last preseason game was last Wednesday and the season opener is not until Saturday.

“I think you’ll be better off for it eventually when you’ve had this rest. But right now in practice, (it) was a little tougher to get going. Guys are getting tired of practicing. They know the season is starting this week and they want to get going. We’ve got to keep them focused in that regard,” said Cassidy.

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