Brad Marchand gives stern challenge to Bruins’ rookies amid roster push

"Pretty good is not going to cut it. If you’re happy with that, then you’ve got a long ways to go."

Bruins forwards Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov both elevated their stock on Tuesday with encouraging performances against the Capitals.

After a quiet preseason debut on Sunday, Lysell uncorked a power-play tally off a shot from the left circle in Boston’s 4-2 win at TD Garden. The 21-year-old wing showcased his speed throughout the night, using his 0-to-60 acceleration to his advantage while retrieving pucks and ferrying them into Grade-A ice.

Merkulov recorded his second preseason point in as many games, setting up Justin Brazeau’s netfront goal off a slick behind-the-back feed.

With featured spots in Boston’s forward corps still up for grabs, both Lysell and Merkulov took steps forward.

But Bruins captain Brad Marchand dished out a cold dose of reality on Wednesday night when asked of the rookies’ solid play against Washington.

For Marchand — whose days spent toiling in Providence and earning 10-plus minutes on the fourth line still fuel his incessant drive — one good performance does little to guarantee regular-season reps.

“It’s encouraging, but ‘pretty well’ needs to be better,” Marchand stressed. “For those guys to make the team, you’ve got to look at it and push guys out that are on term and big deals and stuff like that. Pretty good is not going to cut it. If you’re happy with that, then you’ve got a long ways to go.

“They’re skilled players. But there’s a lot more to it than just making a couple of plays. To make it at this level consistently, you’ve got to steal somebody’s job. That’s the biggest thing. How can you raise the bar to take a job and push somebody out?”

Marchand’s credentials and the “C” on his sweater means that the 36-year-old wing likely isn’t worried about job security this fall.

But the unsteady ground most NHL veterans find themselves on every training camp is a message Marchand has preached for years, especially considering he was one of those pugnacious prospects who scrapped and clawed his way from the fourth line to riding shotgun with Patrice Bergeron.

Even if Lysell and Merkulov may not be pushing for Marchand’s spot in the top-six grouping, other established NHLers like Morgan Geekie, Trent Frederic, and PTO candidate Tyler Johnson are also fighting for the same spots.

If both Lysell and Merkulov are going to unseat veterans during this preseason slate, Tuesday can’t stand as the peak of their contributions on the ice.

“They played well. Definitely better than the first game, and they need to continue to grow and elevate. And I hope they can,” Marchand said. “We need young guys to push and continue to push the pace and allow guys to not get comfortable on this team. We need the young bodies to come in and help the team.

“And that’s what great systems do to continually build internally. Hopefully those guys can continue to push and be better. But again, you can’t be happy with one game or a couple of plays. You’ve got to do it not just through camp but through the entire season. So they’ve got a long way to go.”

Marchand’s candid comments and willingness to slam on the brakes of whatever hype train left the station Tuesday might seem harsh. But Jim Montgomery stressed that Marchand’s mettle, experience, and unique path to NHL stardom makes him an ideal authority on gauging youngsters trying to cut their teeth in the pro-hockey ranks.

“You can’t be one dimensional. There’s got to be one dimension that separates you. And for a guy like our captain, Brad Marchand, it’s his competitive fire,” Montgomery said. “His second and third effort and fourth and eighth effort is beyond anything that I’ve seen. … and that’s what separates him.

“That’s why he could be a fourth-line guy, and coach [Claude] Julian would love him, and then he could grow into a top-six, number one power-play guy and [Bruce] Cassidy loved him. And I come here and I inherit a great player and a great leader.”