Causeway Crowd continues with its mid-season report cards for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are still trying to climb back into playoff contention as they take on the Buffalo Sabres in New York tonight. Some of the Bruins have had a strong opening half to their years, and others have fallen short. With this edition, we finish up with the forwards and start to take a look at the defenseman.
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(42 games played. 30 points (9 goals). -7, with 5 power play goals. 83 shots on goal with a 10.8% shot success rate.)
Ryan Spooner is the Bruins most improved player this season. Last season he was a defensive mess concerned in playing AHL level hockey. Now, Spooner has made changes in his game. He’s far more committed to being a three zone, two-way hockey player.
Ryan Spooner is currently filling in the hole left by David Krejci. So far, Spooner has not been a disappointment. Sure, he’s not 100 percent solid as a top-six center. But he’s making incredible strides to be what the Bruins need him to be. Spooner could pull out a sixty point season, and that would certainly make him one of the best bargain players in the league.
Final Grade: B+
Max Talbot
(21 games played with a 2 game suspension. 4 points (1 goal). -5 with 18 shots on goal, and a 5.6% success rate.)
Max Talbot was preordained as the Bruins thirteenth forward at the start of the season. That caused him to go up and down between Boston and Providence. Even when he was in Boston, he spent some time guarding the popcorn machine on the ninth level. Still, Talbot proved he has something to contribute to the Black and Gold.
Talbot is a solid fourth line player. He brings his experience and an ability to eat up minutes while on the ice. He’s not just a grinder for the Bruins.
The Bruins have tried using him in other roles, but they keep putting him back on the fourth. Thankfully, his skill on the penalty kill keeps him in a Bruins uniform.
Final Grade: C-
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(27 games played. 7 points (6 goals). -1 with 70 shots on goal, and a 8.6% success rate.)
You never know what you’ll get with a NHL rookie. Frank Vatrano is no exception. He has fantastic games, the hat trick against the Penguins being his stand out game. He also put up his first NHL goal against the Bruins arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Vatrano has a few things going for him. He’s got an awful lot of potential, and he’s willing to learn on the fly. He’s becoming a solid winger for the B’s, and he also has the Massachusetts connection. If Vatrano can push it out to a twenty-five point season, it will certainly be considered a success.
Final Grade: B/B+
(40 games played. 22 points (5 goals). +7, with 1 power play goal. 79 shots with a 6.3% shot success rate.)
The Boston Bruins have asked a lot of their captain, and they keep asking a lot of him. At this point, one has to wonder if they’re asking too much of him. Chara is still playing 24-plus minutes of hockey a game. He’s still the Bruins top defenseman, even with a knee that will never be 100 percent. Still, the 38-year old captain is willing to do anything he can to help the team.
Chara is still having the occasional off game as well. His -3 performance against the Phillies was one of his uglier games so far this year. Chara is asked a lot to be the extra attacker, but if the other team achieves a fast transition, Chara is left in the dust. That leaves either a Miller or Trotman defending, and that has cost the B’s points this season.
For the first time in a while, a lot of people have openly questioned Chara’s right to wear the ‘C’. While I don’t think we need to go down that road just yet, it’s clear we can see the light at the end of the tunnel that signifies the end of Chara’s captaincy in Boston.
Final Grade: B
(41 games played. 21 points (3 goals). +2 with 121 shots on goal, and a 2.5% shot success rate.)
At the start of the season, Torey Krug told the Bruins he was ready to play top four minutes in Boston. Krug went out there and proved it to the front office. He’s been one of the most reliable defensemen for the Bruins (With the occasional hot mess of a game.), playing 20-plus minutes a game.
Krug’s scoring has certainly not been up to snuff so far this season, and that’s been his biggest liability so far this season. Other than that he’s been a reliable play maker for the Black and Gold. He plays solid two-way hockey, and hopefully the goals will start coming.
Final Grade: B
(38 games played. 6 points (1 goal). +6, with 22 shots, and a 4.5% shot success rate.)
There are a few things we’ve come to expect from Adam McQuaid. One, McQuaid is an utterly fearless player who will put himself in front of a puck in order to make a play. Second, McQuaid will do whatever he feels is necessary to protect his fellow players. Third, he is a dependable defenseman. While he’s not a top-two blueliner, he is a steady bottom pair player who can do the job well. Finally, McQuaid at some point of the season will suffer some sort of significant injury and miss a considerable amount of play.
Well, McQuaid once again has done all three. McQuaid suffered a concussion in the Bruins most recent scrap with the Washington Capitals. With Darth Quaider’s absence, the Bruins have had to lean on Zach Trotman and Kevan Miller more, and that hasn’t gone as well as the B’s would have liked.
Final Grade: B-
(33 games played. 14 points (3 goals). +3, with 49 shots, and a 6.1 shot success rate.)
Colin Miller has the potential to be an outstanding NHL defenseman. He also tends to make defensive errors at critical times. The Bruins aren’t quite sure what kind of player they’ll get on any given night. Sometimes he’s a solid compliment to his defensive partner. Other nights, he’s just a rough obstacle on the ice.
Still, Miller has the potential for a thirty point season. He’s got an incredible shot, and in some ways he mirrors the abilities of Zdeno Chara. He’s got great instincts on the attack. Now he’s just got to balance those instincts while in his own zone.
Final Grade: C