Seth Griffith has been on the cusp of being a part of the Boston Bruins for the last two years. Griffith saw some action last season in Boston’s Black and Gold, but didn’t have much to show for it in his four NHL games. As one of the players now expected to make the big club, expectations are high.
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
Last season saw Griffith go on a tear with the Providence Bruins. In just 57 games, Griffith finished second in the AHL with 77 points (24 goals). He saw plenty of playing time with Frank Vatrano as well, and the two young Bruins helped Providence get into the playoffs this year.
Griffith is an exciting scorer who can make impressive shots.
He’s also willing to play the body like Milan Lucic (which is impressive because at 5’9″ and 192 pounds he’s built more like Torey Krug). He’s a solid player when he’s having a good night. His biggest issue is that he doesn’t always have good nights.
Bruins bench boss Claude Julien is hoping for more consistency out of Griffith. He would like to see NHL-caliber performances from him every night, and he believes that his hot and cold streaks are the biggest thing holding back the 23-year old forward.
“I think with Seth, he came in a couple years ago and had a bit of a stint, and you know he did okay. But I think from him probably consistency is what I’m hearing. I don’t see him playing all the time in Providence. All I can rely on a little bit is what he’s done here. And you know he came up for a few games this year; we didn’t quite see enough so he ended up going back,” Julien said last week at the press conference for the Miller signing. “He’s had some good spurts there in Providence is what I’m being told. Consistency is probably what you want from Griff.
“He’s a skilled player; he skates fairly well. But at the same time, at the NHL level here the biggest thing is you try and find players that you know what you’re going to get on most nights. So if he can improve in that area I think that’s going to be a big boost for him.”
This is solid praise from a man who doesn’t like playing younger players. Griffith will be invited to Boston’s training camp this year. He’ll also likely be one of the players who get to wear the ‘B’ on opening night. Hopefully, the Bruins get more quality (and cap friendly) players so they can find themselves back on the path to the playoffs.