![\"Bruins](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IJKUCS4LVMAEPNGGXEOC2QL73Y.jpg\")
Bruins center-turned-winger Mark Kastelic (47) has acquitted himself quickly to fight for the puck in the corners, like here against hulking Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub last month.Sean Kilpatrick\/Associated Press<\/p>\nIt was a Wayne Cashman moment. The legendary Bruins winger in the 1960s, \u201970s, and \u201980s owned that corner in the old Boston Garden, and every other rink that happened to have similar real estate. <\/p>\n
Cashman (1,027 games, 516 career assists, 2 Stanley Cups) looked happiest and performed best when there was mayhem to embrace. Particularly in his corner office, where he\u2019d invariably skate the puck out with a pile of beaten bodies stacked up in his wake.<\/p>\n
Get Starting Point<\/p>\n
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n
If you wanted to start trouble, Cash was your guy. If you wanted the nonsense to stop, oh yeah, Cash was your guy. If you wanted to grind the puck into the slot, well \u2026 now look who we have here!<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard about him, and just know he\u2019s a legend,\u201d the soft-spoken Kastelic said postgame Saturday, a visitor to his locker noting the Cashman-esque flair he displayed on setting up Minten\u2019s tally. \u201cBut I\u2019d be lying if I said I\u2019ve seen a lot of footage of his playing days.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 6 feet, 4 inches, and 234 pounds, the hulking, chiseled Kastelic is 3 inches taller and some 50 pounds heavier than Cashman\u2019s playing specs. He is also a better skater than the famed No. 12, something he has showcased this season with his surprisingly agile footwork on the penalty kill. <\/p>\n
In short, Kastelic is far more versatile than how he was cast last season, in part because one of new coach Marco Sturm\u2019s first decisions was to convert him from a center to wing. <\/p>\n
Bruins center-turned-winger Mark Kastelic (47) has acquitted himself quickly to fight for the puck in the corners, like here against hulking Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub last month.Sean Kilpatrick\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, to be honest, I wasn\u2019t jumping up and down happy about that,\u201d mused a smiling Kastelic. \u201cBut I get it, it\u2019s a business, and if that\u2019s where I\u2019m best to help the team, I\u2019m all for it \u2014 and it makes me more valuable. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a guy who complains, anyway. My feeling is, if they ask me to be a defenseman, I\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Given the club\u2019s mounting injuries on the backline, where the Bruins are hurting for a right-shot defenseman, that kind of crazy talk could get \u201cKasty\u201d sent directly to the backline with hard hat and lunch pail. For now, though, his game at wing hints that he could evolve as a power forward of some consequence \u2014 a role that has been left vacant since the day a battered Cam Neely hobbled up the tunnel some 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
Now, that\u2019s not to say that the 26-year-old Kastelic projects as the next Neely. The comparison wouldn\u2019t be fair to either party. But if his game evolves, particularly if he carves a niche in the corner, Kastelic could turn out to be an unexpected and vital offensive force \u2014 capable of playing in the top six and helping out on the power play. <\/p>\n
The size and raw tools are there, including Kastelic\u2019s competitive drive and bountiful will to fight. His ceiling now will be determined by skill refinement, particularly foot work and puck possession amid the corner craziness \u2014 traits that Cashman fashioned into an art form.<\/p>\n
![\"Since](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MUXETCQVCAI6LPAS2UT33F7J3Y.jpg\")
Since his recent move from center to the wing, Mark Kastelic has shown some glimpses of the type of game Bruins legend Wayne Cashman (12) used to shine for 17 seasons in Boston. TLUMACKI, JOHN GLOBE STAFF PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting pucks and keeping more pucks alive,\u201d said Sturm postgame, first acknowledging that he saw some of that from Kastelic early in the season, too. \u201cAnd finding guys in the middle. This is something we work on a lot in practice. If we practice, we try to do that, just have that mind-set. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s so strong. You can\u2019t really push him \u2026 that\u2019s why he gets those opportunities to make those kind of plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to it all, noted Sturm, has been the pleasure in seeing how the trio of Tanner Jeannot, Minten, and Kastelic has bonded as an effective, dependable third line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy these three guys connect,\u201d he added, \u201cbecause \u2026 now they\u2019re not Morgan Geekie, that\u2019s the difference, but they work \u2026 they work the right way. I think [Kastelic] is still learning the offensive part. He\u2019s probably not used to this. I think now he gets more comfortable and thinks, \u2018OK, I can make more plays, too.\u2019 It just takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sturm\u2019s mention of Geekie offered an interesting, unintended comparison. Geeklie arrived here only 2\u00bd years ago, a free agent hire meant to bring some integrity to the No. 3 or 4 center spot. He didn\u2019t evolve as one of the game\u2019s top goal-scoring forces until the second half of last season, at age 26, and not until he was moved from center to wing. Now he\u2019s chasing Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL goal lead.<\/p>\n
In Geekie\u2019s case, the move from center to wing allowed him to feature his best asset: one of the game\u2019s fastest, strongest shots. For Kastelic, the shift to life along the wall has allowed him to feature his size and strength. We\u2019re just beginning to see what might unfold.<\/p>\n
![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/37M4BPVMJPW4ISF7PP5JQEV4JU.jpg\")
Someone for Mark Kastelic to model his newfound wing game after? How about veteran Capitals right wing Tom Wilson, who is coming off a career-best 65-point season and, at 31 years old, is producing so far at over a point-per-game pace this year. Nick Wass\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Setting aside the comps of Bruins legends Cashman and Neely, maybe Kastelic could develop into something of a Tom Wilson \u2014 the menacing, feared Washington right winger who is identical in size and shape (6-4, 225). Wilson\u2019s game is more refined, though, his r\u00e9sum\u00e9 deeper and more accomplished (after a career-high 65 points last season, the 31-year-old Capital owns a 17-15\u201332 line in 30 games after adding an assist in Sunday\u2019s 2-0 win over Columbus). <\/p>\n
If Kastelic can get there, or even get to the same neighborhood, it could be his work in the corner that vaults him to that level.<\/p>\n