This time of year, there really isn’t too much news surfacing for the Boston Bruins. Development camp was several weeks ago. Training camp doesn’t start until Sept. 17. Not much noise has been made by the team. On the contrary, writers and fans have been unreserved with their opinions running rampant on just about everything to speculate over with this team. This is what we call a dry season in the media.
There have been plenty of interesting theories in regard to the shape of this team, but prediction after prediction, projection after projection yields dubious assertions.
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
Consider the conjecture that David Krejci won’t see the first forward line next season. To some, it’s not that rash of an opinion. To others, it leaves them with a quizzical look on their face. Yes Krejci suffered an injury-riddled season last year. Yes he posted weak numbers. His injuries of Nov. 18 (groin) and Feb. 20 (partially torn MCL) resulted in the centerman missing 35 games last season. It’s the shortest amount of games he’s played since the 2012-13 season when the lockout allowed him to play only 47 games.
Yet, here’s an interesting stat – Krejci’s TOI for the 2012-13 season was 706:03, while his TOI for this year, playing, the same exact amount of time, was 673:53. The reasoning behind this was due to Krejci’s downgrade to second line, third line minutes last season. Arguably, Krejci’s injury history of last season was far more grave than that of years past. But because Krejci saw second and third line ice time last season, it seems many have forgotten that he is still Boston’s natural top line centerman.
When Krejci returned to the lineup following his injury in February, he played the final 9 games of the regular season with the B’s from Mar. 26 till Apr. 11. His average shifts total during that length of time was 23.5. Loui Eriksson’s, while mostly playing third line minutes, posted a 23.2 in those final games of the season. The numbers suggest that Krejci’s injuries could have lingered on, causing him to play less and hindering his performance. Or, they could suggest that coach Claude Julien did not believe Krejci was healthy enough to return to his position of first line center.
Krejci is the most germane centerman to lead the first line. He’s occupied the role for four-plus seasons. His play-making abilities put him ahead of even Patrice Bergeron for the job. Bergeron fits well on the second line. It doesn’t matter who you put with Bergeron, he’ll make them look good. Remember Reilly Smith’s first year with the Bruins, when he played alongside the three-time Selke winner? He scored 20 goals and finished the year with 51 points. His plus/minus that year was plus-28. Smith played his best year as an NHLer playing with Bergeron. If Smith could find success with Bergeron, than, for instance, Brett Connolly could find success playing with Bergeron on the second line.
Once the chips settle come Oct. 8, none of these ‘what if’ debates will really matter. What matters is that these lines mesh well forming a cohesive forward unit for the Bruins. We may have forgotten that Krejci is the incumbent, de facto first line centerman. Julien held back on Krejci due to injury alone last season. If all goes as planned, Krejci will return to camp with full health, ready to lead the Bruins’ top line.
Stats from this report were used by bruins.nhl.com and hockey-reference.com