Boston Bruins: A healthy David Krejci Means a Scratched Reilly Smith.
The Boston Bruins have been without David Krejci since he was injured playing against the St. Louis Blues on February 20th. Now one month and thirteen games later, the Bruins top line center may be ready to return to the ice this weekend. The Black and Gold are in a very crucial Florida road trip, and Krejci’s production would be a welcome addition to a team that has found itself on the wrong end of several important games over the last week and a half.
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“I guess the decision’s going to have to be made [Saturday],” said Krejci after yesterday’s practice. “I’m going to push myself a little bit harder, get a good stretch before, do my treatments and stuff and try to practice just like I would play a game, and if I feel one hundred percent, talk to coaches and if they’ll put me in, they’ll put me in.”
In the last two practices, David Krejci was seen wearing different color practice jerseys. Claude Julien has been moving him around in order to find just the right fit for the twenty-eight year old Czech forward. While there is no doubt that Krejci is a top six forward, there has been talk on who would be watching the game from the ninth level when he returns.
The first name that came to mind was Ryan Spooner. Spooner has put up eleven points (five goals) since being called up from Providence to fill-in for Krejci. It appears that head coach Claude Julien has finally turned the corner on the young Ottawa native. Julien declared that Spooner would be staying in the line-up when Krejci returned to the ice.
“I think everybody here knows that Ryan Spooner’s playing well, and I’m going to be honest with you, he’s not coming out of our lineup, playing the way he is, and that’s just doing the right thing, and he deserves it right now, so we’ll have to figure out what we want to do from there.”-Claude Julien on plans to keep Ryan Spooner in Boston
For the moment, it looks like Krejci would return as a winger. It also appears that he’ll be a part of the current Bruins top line, centered by Patrice Bergeron. It’s a pretty solid fit. Patrice Bergeron is the type of player that makes everyone play better. Putting two solid playmakers with solid chemistry could certainly generate the kind of two-way production the Bruins have been sorely needing.
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“If I get a chance to play with Bergy, playing with one of the best two-way centers in the league, it would make it so much easier on myself,” said Krejci on the possibility of playing with Bergeron. “But once I’ll be back on the ice, that means I’m ready to go and I’m ready to step in at any position.”
All this information leads me to believe that Claude Julien could use a healthy scratch on Reilly Smith. It’s been twelve games since he’s last tallied a goal, and six since he’s seen a point. For a top six forward, that’s an extremely rough stretch. It’s even more painful when the Bruins are precariously hanging on to a slim two-point lead in the playoff race.
“He’s been really struggling and at one point, you can try and help him out, but I think he’s going to have to help himself,” said Julien of Smith’s recent play. “And sometimes you’ve got to simplify your game and not worry so much about production, but more about starting to win some battles and making some good plays here. He’s had an up and down year, and that’s the reality of things, and we’ve seen him when he’s good and he’s a much better player than he’s shown.”
Coach Julien was questioned about scratching Smith after yesterday’s practice. “We’ll see. I don’t’ know. I can’t answer that right now,” he said. “We have just a very minimal number of players right now, so it’s a little tougher to make those decisions right now. I wish I had those options that were a little bit at more at my disposal, but you’ve kind of got to try and work with them for the time being.”
From a player’s perspective, it’s never good to get scratched. The last time Julien exercised that option, it was on Daniel Paille. That break allowed Paille to take a step back from the ice, and he certainly came back swinging. Paille only had a single goal when he was benched, and has put up four since returning to the ice. This is likely one of the last chances Julien has to give Smith that step back, and he needs to take it this weekend.