Lukas Reichel gave Marco Sturm a real look, and now the Bruins have to turn that emergency recall into a permanent move or end it.

That's the spot Boston reached after Reichel's emergency stint expired following Sunday's game, putting the front office on the clock.

This isn't just paperwork.

It's a roster call that says something about how the Bruins see Reichel right now and what they still need for the stretch run.

Boston brought Reichel up on March 18 after he posted 5 points in 3 games with Providence.

He didn't arrive as a depth placeholder.

He arrived as a player the Bruins wanted to test in a real NHL role.

The first impression was strong. In his Bruins debut against Winnipeg, Reichel scored and added an assist while skating 14:45 on a line with Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie.

Sturm didn't hide what he liked.

He pointed to Reichel's speed, skill, and ability to push that line forward, which matters on a team still trying to lock down its best mix in the top nine.

Boston also isn't making this call from a position of comfort.

The Bruins are 43-26-9 with 95 points, so every lineup choice has weight right now.

Lukas Reichel forces Bruins into tough roster call at critical time

If the Bruins believe Reichel helps them, the clean move is obvious: convert the emergency recall into a regular one and keep him in the lineup.

If they don't, then send him back to Providence and open the door for another option.

Letting this drift would only muddy the picture for a player they just acquired on March 6.

That's why the outside speculation is already moving to Matthew Poitras and James Hagens.

Poitras has already played 3 NHL games this season and scored once, so he remains the most familiar internal alternative.

Hagens is the bigger long-view name, but he already joined Providence on an amateur tryout after a 47-point season at Boston College.

That makes him more of an organizational headline than the safest immediate NHL answer.

Reichel, meanwhile, has at least forced the Bruins to make a real decision.

In 27 NHL games this season, he has 8 points, and Boston has already seen enough to know his pace can change a shift.

That's the angle here. The Bruins aren't just shuffling a fringe forward. They're being pushed into a move, and Reichel is the reason the choice now matters.