Danton Heinen Should Have Been Gone At NHL Trade Deadline
By Erin Walsh
Danton Heinen should have been gone at the NHL trade deadline, but here we are in March with him still on this Boston Bruins team. Sure, he’s terrific defensively, but he significantly lacks offensive capabilities.
During David Pastrnak’s absence, we saw Heinen get some ice time alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand that definitely benefited his play. Heinen played very well on Bergeron’s right wing, but who wouldn’t? The combination of Bergeron and Marchand could even make myself look good — and I’m not the best skater.
The point being, Heinen literally cannot produce unless he’s alongside elite players. But even so, Bruce Cassidy tried him on David Krejci’s right wing and he failed to flourish. I’ll admit, I had somewhat high expectations for Heinen, but nothing crazy.
The 23-year-old had 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) through 77 games last season but definitely slacked from the midway point on. Through the last 29 games of the 2017-18 season, Heinen tallied just nine points (four goals, five assists), which isn’t great for a guy you want to produce. Through nine playoff games last season, he recorded just one goal through nine games.
The winger just can’t seem to find his game in Boston, he’s a good fit style wise for the Black and Gold, but ultimately he could be replaced by up and coming prospects in the near future. Obviously it’s extremely early to judge the 23-year-old as he’s only in his second full season with the big club, but I feel it’s beyond necessary to at least give him some criticism.
Most people know I’m not the biggest Heinen fan. Although I don’t like his game, I can appreciate the fact that he’s terrific on the defensive side of the puck. He’s not a bust by any means, but he needs to elevate his game to the next level.
Who knows, maybe after writing this post he’ll step it up.
UPDATE: Yup, he just scored to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead over the Devils…