The Boston Bruins have had no choice to embrace change this year. Salary cap restraints forced the Bruins to give up players like Carl Soderberg, and move players like Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton. If the Bruins are going to want to get back into the playoff form, they’ll need to make one more important change.
It’s time to promote Patrice Bergeron to the top line.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Patrice Bergeron has been the number two guy in Boston for a bit too long. Second in command behind Zdeno Chara, and on the second line behind David Krejci. The three time Selke winner was once again the Bruins best player on the ice last season. Had any of the other Bruins stepped up just a little bit more, the Bruins would have made the playoffs and the team turnover would not have been as severe.
Bergeron became the de facto captain on the ice when Chara spent part of the season out with his knee injury (An injury that all parties admit will never fully heal.). When Krejci was injured later in the season, the Bruins went through half the roster trying to find the right player to accentuate Lucic. The Bruins were able to make it work, and Lucic had one of his most disappointing seasons in the NHL.
Bergeron had to shoulder the burden of being the new top line center. He was able to accomplish this in spite of having two wingers that were having extremely streaky seasons. (Brad Marchand was able to get a better handle on his game than Reilly Smith could last year, and it’s why Smith is playing with Shawn Thornton and Jaromir Jagr on the Panthers now.) Bergeron was once again the best in the face-off circle for the Bruins and the league, and he led the team with a quiet confidence that is lacking in other NHL clubs now.
Puck Prose
The Krejci line will be completely redone next season. The smarter money is pairing Krejci with fellow Czech David Pastrnak, and Swedish wing Loui Eriksson. While this line will certainly be a faster, more skill based line, it won’t be the best line the Bruins have.
Patrice Bergeron will once again be skating with Marchand. Those two consistently work magic on the ice. It didn’t matter if it was Tyler Seguin, Reilly Smith, or even Daniel Paille, the Berger0n-Marchand duo usually helped the team out. Now the Bruins have a few more producers on the squad. Jimmy Hayes, Brett Connolly, and Matt Beleskey could find themselves on the Bergeron line, and it would only help the team get more points on the board.
Last season, the Bruins were only 22nd in the league in goals per game (2.5), and 12th on the penalty kill (82%). If it wasn’t for Bergeron, those numbers would have certainly been worse. It’s time that Don Sweeney recognized the future Hall of Famer’s contributions and made the appropriate change to the roster. The captaincy will be Bergeron’s the day after Chara retires. It’s time to name the heir apparent in Boston.