Boston Bruins: Loui Eriksson Making The Bruins Better
The Boston Bruins are a team that’s used to being under the radar. Even in 2011, when the Black and Gold won the Stanley Cup, they were considered an unlikely championship team. A lot of players have joined and left the team since then, but one player has been especially underrated these last few years.
That player is forward Loui Eriksson.
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Many fans in Boston still don’t appreciate him. I was a having a conversation with fellow fans on Tuesday night at the TD Garden, and one of the gentlemen in the discussion was dismissive of the Swedish forward. He believed Eriksson was “too soft for the NHL”.
As everyone knows, Loui Eriksson was the centerpiece of the still talked about Tyler Seguin trade three years ago. Eriksson missed a significant amount of playing time that first year(but still put up 37 points) due to two concussions, one of the delivered by the last of the NHL’s goons, John Scott. While Seguin made the Dallas top line and had an incredible first two years, Eriksson found himself playing mostly on the B’s third line.
This season, Eriksson is getting to see top-six time, mostly as part of the top line centered by David Krejci. Putting the 30-year old forward with one of the best centers in the league (Krejci or Patrice Bergeron), and with one of the hottest young talents in the league (David Pastrnak) has been explosive for the Black and Gold.
With just eight games in the books, Eriksson is tied with Bergeron for second in overall points on the Bruins. In the last week, he’s had six assists with a +4 rating. This puts him on pace for a ninety point season. As long as he stays healthy, he’ll certainly exceed his personal best point total in Boston (47), and certainly challenge his best NHL season in Dallas (2010-11, 73).
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“Loui is a guy who’s fit in anywhere you put him,” said B’s bench boss Claude Julien to the media before Tuesday’s big win over the Arizona Coyotes. Whether it’s been on the right or the left, and that’s where, you know again, that guy deserves credit for being that type of player. And you know, we know early on he didn’t get the credit he probably deserved, and I think slowly but surely everyone started to appreciate him a little bit more.”
Loui Eriksson has become one of the more reliable players for the Boston Bruins. If you like advanced statistics, his worth is even more clear. Eriksson’s Corsi-for percentage is 61.72. That’s higher than any other member of the Bruins, and it’s good enough to be sixth overall in the league. He’s on the Bruins first power play unit, which is currently the hottest power play unit in the entire NHL.
Loui Eriksson has become another Patrice Bergeron for the Black and Gold. He makes everyone around him a better player.