Boston Bruins Season Preview 2015-16: Loui Eriksson
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The NHL regular season is finally underway! After months of waiting, hockey fans everywhere can finally enjoy their favorite teams taking to the ice in hopes of making the playoffs and meeting their ultimate goal: hoisting the Stanley Cup high over their heads! The Boston Bruins underwent a very crucial retool during the offseason and will look to return to the postseason just one year after missing it for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Each player will have to pull their weight to succeed, and this series of articles will provide a prediction of how each player will do in the 2015-16 season.
The next player preview is Loui Eriksson
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Loui Eriksson was set up to fail from the second he became a Boston Bruin. Not only was Eriksson the centerpiece of the now-infamous Tyler Seguin trade, but he was the victim of multiple injuries and concussions early on in his tenure with the Bruins. In his first year in Boston, Eriksson posted a very unsatisfactory point total with 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points in 61 games. Bruins fans were expecting the player that scored 26 or more goals and 70 or more points with Dallas almost every season and unfortunately didn’t receive that.
Loui Eriksson showed last season that he does indeed still has a scoring touch, increasing his point totals to 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points in 81 games. Based on Eriksson’s past point totals and last season, Eriksson should be expected to increase his point total again this season. Eriksson received third line minutes on the Bruins almost exclusively in his first two years in Boston as he had exceptional chemistry with fellow-Swede and former-Bruin Carl Soderberg. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility to expect Eriksson to score 26 goals this season and to add 33 assists. The Bruins need offensive players in their system, but one common misconception among Bruins fans is that Eriksson is an offensive-minded player, which is a reasonable assumption considering his high point totals of the past. What Bruins fans need to understand is that Loui Eriksson is a two-way player who excels at the defensive side of the game.
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Loui Eriksson is a speedy player who can never be counted out of a play. By being lined up with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, Eriksson should feel right at home with their style of play, and should contribute in all three-zones; a staple of Claude Julien‘s favorite players. Eriksson should be rolled out in all situations in Boston this season including even strength, the powerplay, and the penalty kill. Eriksson’s skill-set is a valuable one, and in a contract year, he should aim to impress not only Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney, but also any other general manager that may want to sign him in the offseason. Contract years are always crucial for athletes and usually lead to tremendous seasons; Boston will be hoping that Eriksson follows that trend this season as they attempt to return to the playoffs. Eriksson should benefit greatly from playing alongside top-line forwards in Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand and the results will yield a top-six role for Eriksson throughout the season as opposed to the third line minutes he’s been provided over the last two years.
To recap:
1. Eriksson will start and finish the season in the top-six
2. Eriksson will score 26 goals this season
3. Eriksson will assist on 33 goals this season
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports