Andre Gasseau is putting Marco Sturm and the Bruins in a tricky spot as his path starts looking less like a routine signing and more like a real deadline play.

The issue is not whether Boston likes the player. It is whether the Bruins can offer the thing Gasseau may want most right now, which is a shot at NHL games this season.

That pressure spiked after Mark Divver reported Evan Gold had no comment on where things stand with the Bruins' 2021 seventh-round pick.

Divver also reported rumblings that Gasseau could be eyeing NHL games this season or free agency if he is not signed by August 15.

That is the part Boston cannot brush aside. Once an NCAA player gets this close to the end of the rights window, the leverage starts shifting away from the club and toward the player. Boston's rights to its senior college prospects run until August 15.

And Gasseau has given the Bruins a reason to take this seriously. He is not just some depth name sitting quietly in the system anymore. He has turned himself into a real prospect conversation at Boston College.

This season, Gasseau put up 6 goals and 23 points in 23 games for Boston College. That kind of production, paired with his size, is exactly what starts making a college free-agent threat feel more believable.

Boston may need to sell opportunity, not patience

The old pitch would be easy. Sign the entry-level deal, report to Providence, learn the pro game, and wait your turn. But that may not be enough here if Gasseau believes he has earned at least a look in Boston.

That is what makes this one interesting for a Bruins site. Fans have seen this movie before with college players who do not want to get buried in the AHL while the NHL club talks long-term development. Sometimes the player wants the contract. Sometimes he wants the runway.

Gasseau's situation looks like it could turn on that exact point. If his camp believes another organization would offer a cleaner path to NHL ice, Boston has a real problem on its hands.

And Pat Brisson being his agent only adds more weight to the conversation. Players with real options do not usually stumble into August by accident.

The Bruins still have time to fix this. They drafted Gasseau 213th overall in 2021, and late picks who force this kind of discussion are usually worth a harder push.

But the message from this latest rumbling is pretty clear. Gasseau may not be looking for a generic contract. He may be looking for a chance.

If Boston cannot offer that path, the risk is obvious. The Bruins could spend years developing the rights to a player, only to watch him decide that his best NHL opening is somewhere else.

This could end up being a big loss for the Bruins if they do not figure something out with Gasseau.