Boston Bruins: Claude Julien Modifying Breakout Blueprint
The Boston Bruins were caught in a whirlwind of trouble last season. They were never a cohesive unit. Most guys played as a shadow of themselves. Goals became scarce. Defensive breakdowns and injuries materialized a recipe for disaster.
It showed by missing the playoffs by a slim margin.
Two seasons ago, the Bruins were President Trophy recipients. They led the league with 254 goals for. Last season, they finished with 96 points, 209 goals for, and a new general manager as a result.
Come draft day back in June, when GM Don Sweeney dealt both Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton, the general conception was the Bruins were rebuilding. Lucic represented Boston’s brass. Hamilton coincided nicely with Torey Krug as puck movers with an ability to join the rush as D-men. In all likelihood, Sweeney anticipated drafting the highly touted Noah Hanifin with Arizona’s third pick.
Arizona did not budge, and the Bruins’ holes on defense remain.
Hamilton’s loss has yet to be addressed. Implementing Krug on the top line with Zdeno Chara is slated for disappointment. Krug has yet to prove his commodity value as a top-line defensemen, certainly not alongside Chara.
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A Krug-Chara tandem would also fail to mesh successfully with Claude Julien‘s contemporary breakout setup.
Per a Boston Globe report (worth the read), Julien has done his homework on Boston’s breakout strategies. Julien anticipates including a fourth attacker on the breakout with a defensemen joining the rush up the ice. The weak-side winger will distance himself away from the boards, unlike years past, and will gravitate towards the center of the ice, and the strong-side wing can deliver the pass in transition.
Julien’s changes are contrived for good reason. The team was matched last season with 2-1-2 forechecks from opponents, forcing plays as a result. The only downfall to Julien’s modifications surface with the fourth attacker. Hamilton was the strong puck mover that could join a rush with his legs and keen offensive mindset. That keen offensive mindset is playing in Calgary this season.
With Julien’s altered setup, the defensemen will flank the goaltender, go D-to-D, then look for the outlet. The non-passer defensemen will shift up in front of the net, inching closer to joining the rush. The D-man passing has several options: dish up to the strong-side winger who can then anticipate an upbeat weak-side winger in the middle of the ice, or, look for the center on the strong-side and allow both wingers to become options at center ice.
The defensemen in motion is Julien’s greatest change to the breakout. Their job is to join the rush as a fourth attacker. Julien wants numbers in transition, a hallmark of where the league is headed off the rush.
Julien’s plan will struggle with defensemen like Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, and Adam McQuaid. Yet, Matt Irwin and Colin Miller may be glimmers of hope in successfully devising this breakout strategy. Krug is the mainstay transitioning D-man. He remains Boston’s lone mobile defensemen. Julien’s newfound tactics on the breakout require the ability to move up ice quickly in order to make a genuine impact on the attack. With stay-at-home defenders making the majority of Boston’s defense, it will take time before Julien’s new setup produces advantageous results.
Follow Christopher Bokum on Twitter @ChrisBokum