Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
When the Boston Bruins traded away Milan Lucic, following the losses of fellow tough-guys Shawn Thornton, Johnny Boychuk, the identity of the Boston Bruins shifted. The 2014-2015 season was largely a mission to find a new identity split between skill, speed, and power…It didn’t work. In addition to needing a clear identity, the Bruins are also in desperate need of another top-4 defenseman, cue Dustin Byfuglien
Dustin Byfuglien, one of the largest players in the NHL standing at 6’5″ and weighing 265lbs, is exactly the type of player that the Bruins need. Byfuglien is a rare breed of player that can play both forward, and defense, and that is a valuable commodity to have for any team. Dustin Byfuglien had 203 hits last season, and 2.94 hits-per-game, as well as 7.78 hits-per-60-minutes. Those stats are going to be a pretty significant drop-off from the numbers Lucic put up, as he had 259 hits, 3.20 hits-per-game, and 11.74 hits-per-60-minutes, but they would certainly help diminish the loss while also helping the Bruins on both ends of the ice. (stats found on sportingcharts.com)
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Byfuglien is has put up at least 45 points in four of the last five seasons and the only season he didn’t during the lockout-shortened season, where he still put up 28 points in 43 games. More than just scoring points, Byfuglien has a knack for finding the back of the net with his booming shot, and his two 20-goal seasons can attest to that.
Byfuglien is a right-handed shot defenseman who would instantly slot into the top-four of the Bruins back-end, and in all likeliness would be Zdeno Chara‘s partner on the top pairing. The move would cost the Bruins significant assets, however they could also convince the Jets to take a contract like Chris Kelly‘s, or even Dennis Seidenberg‘s.
With players like Cody Franson and Marek Zidlicky confirmed to be in contact with Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins, it’s likely that at least one more move is on the horizon, and it’ll be interesting to see which one it is.