If Anders Bjork can remain healthy for a full season, he could offer a cheap option of a player that can slot into the Boston Bruins top-nine.
In the final year of his entry-level contract, he comes at a very limited cost for the Boston Bruins. Question is, can Anders Bjork stay healthy for a full campaign. If he can manage that, there’s every chance we’ll see him on the opening night roster, possibly even as a top-six right winger.
Having a player with a cap hit of just $925,000 that high up the roster certainly gives the Boston Bruins a little bit of breathing space. You just have to ignore the fact that this hypothetical scenario may well lead to a career year as he hits restricted free agency, thus adding to their cap issues, albeit in a years’ time.
Anders Bjork’s final campaign with the University of Notre Dame back in the 2016-17 season easily suggests that there is quite the player there, waiting to break-out in the professional game. In that final NCAA year, he scored 21 goals and 31 assists, totalling 52 points in just 39 games. Unfortunately for him, he’s only appeared in 72 total games (split between the Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins) across the two seasons since.
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The potential is definitely there; it’s the player’s health that is the major worry that likely prevents the Boston Bruins from pushing him into such a significant line-up spot.
Unfortunately for him, all of the recent free agency signings seem aimed at propping up the lower-half of the depth chart meaning there is really quite limited spots to go around. The likes of Par Lindholm and Brett Ritchie are more than likely appearing the bottom-six of the Boston Bruins’ line-up, rather than the top-half. It’s a bit of a top-six or bust scenario for an unfortunate Anders Bjork.
There is an expectation that the shoulder surgery he underwent back in January, following issues with the exact same shoulder the previous February, has finally fixed the issue. Obviously, you’re always going to have some concerns when a 22 year-old has already had two procedures on the same body part.
If, though, he stays healthy; he could inject the speed and nifty hands that would be plenty of benefit to a second-line that already has the youthful exuberance of Jake DeBrusk alongside the (now) veteran center, David Krejci.
For a young career to have already suffered so much from health concerns, you genuinely hope for the guy that this is the season he gets everything back on track, shows up big and provides that extra little flair on the second line.
It’s all in his hands to ensure he recovers and rehabilitates perfectly to limit future injury. On the plus side, the injuries probably make him a cheaper contract at the end of the year, regardless of his production this coming campaign.