Boston Bruins Need David Krejci to Stay Healthy
David Krejci‘s 2014-15 season was spent navigating the choppy waters that accompany injuries, and the Bruins collective struggles were by all means tied to his absence. Speculating where the Bruins would have ended up had they had their $7.25 million dollar man on the ice for more than 47 games is a futile exercise, but you do have to wonder, and there’s no arguing the necessity of having him around for the whole year this time around.
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Krejci’s groin injury that kept him out for 20 games scattered throughout the fall helped stunt the team’s offensive production, as did the partially torn MCL he suffered during an ugly February loss to St. Louis. When he was on the ice, Krejci posted a plus-7, which was the best plus/minus rating for a Bruins center not named Carl Soderberg. That number could have been much higher if he had a full 82 game slate to work with (he was a plus-39 in 2013-14).
That’s an important stat that shows he still has the ability to make things happen when he’s not in the trainer’s room. And Krejci’s injuries aside, don’t forget that he tallied that plus-7 mark while dealing with a revolving door of right wingers all season long, further impeding that line’s ability to gel.
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: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins need Krejci to come back healthy and have a strong year if they want to be successful. Krejci’s two most productive seasons came in 2010-11: 13G, 49A, 62P (we all know what happened that spring) and in 2013-14: 19G, 50A, 69P, which I strongly believe was the best Bruins team they’ve had during their recent run of success.
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The bottom line is that the Bruins see their best results when Krejci is in the mix. With a lot of questions hanging over the team heading into the year, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he can close the book on last year’s injury woes.
With Krejci back to full health, Boston needs to slot David Pastrnak on Krejci’s Right Wing going forward. I’ve always been in the camp that wants to see Krejci shoot more, but if Julien puts Pastrnak with him, I’d rather see him follow his natural style and feed his wingers, which history tells us yields positive outcomes. The two are a natural fit. Pastrnak had his coming out party last year, and has the skill and maturity level to make the jump to being a 20 goal scorer, especially if he has one of the league’s elite passers getting him the puck.
There would be a mutual benefit for the pair if Pastrnak spends more time on Krejci’s line, and now would be the best time to do it, because reuniting the Lucic/Spooner/Pastrnak line that led the charge late last year is out of the question. But it all starts with Krejci coming into Bruins camp next month healthy and ready to produce. And we can only hope he turns the page on last year’s health concerns.