The Boston Bruins were looking for the right kind of players to fill in holes in the roster at the end of the 2014-15 season. While some of the players turned out to be disappointing or just not useful to the Bruins, B’s forward Matt Beleskey was the exception.
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Matt Beleskey – Forward
Games Played: 80
Goals/Assists/Points: 15/22/37 (three power play goals/one game winning goal – 168 SOG/ 8.9% shot percentage)
Beleskey had come off a career-best 22 goal season with the Anaheim Ducks and the Bruins front office were hoping for another solid year. With the exception of having another 20-goal season, the 27-year old forward met or exceeded the teams’ expectations this season. Beleskey started out the season sort-of slow as a bottom-six forward but progressed nicely as the season went on. He ended up finishing as a top-six forward playing with David Krejci and David Pastrnak.
Beleskey brought back a physicality that seemed to be lacking in the Bruins. He threw his body out there the same way Milan Lucic used to do every night. He ended up leading the team in hits with 260. (That’s three-plus hits every game.) Some of those hits earned him the wrath of the refs, but he never received a fine or suspension for any of them. Adding his nearly forty-point season, he was one of the best players the Black and Gold had on the ice this season.
Beleskey was a great plug-and-play player for Boston. He could be useful on the power play or the penalty kill. He used his body and completed his checks. He was prepared to do whatever he could to help the Bruins win and was one of my candidates for the 7th Player Award.
Next: Bruins Report Card: Noel Acciari
Matt Beleskey will be back with the Bruins next season. He’s under contract with the Bruins organization until the 2019-20 season with a cap hit of $3.8 million per year. Beleskey might be looking at some surgery in the offseason to repair damage to his hand, but it’s not something that will hold him up when training camp starts in September.
Final Grade: A-
He easily exceeded my expectations this season. He quickly became a fan favorite and a total package player for the Black and Gold. He was the best free agent signing the Bruins made this season.