Boston Bruins: 3 reasons Anders Bjork deserved to make the roster

Anders Bjork is the younger option

Given you can make arguments that Brett Ritchie and David Backes are stealing the roster spots from someone like Anders Bjork; you can make a very fair claim that the younger option might’ve been the best.

However, we all know that coaches across the league do love the balance, especially in the locker-room, that a figure like David Backes gives them. Here’s a guy that has been around the league a significant amount of time and has also been a team captain.

That sort of leadership is hard to replicate, despite the fact we know the Boston Bruins have plenty of leaders in their room; not least team captain Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron, to name two.

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At 23 years old and able to play both the left and right wing, you have to question whether it would’ve been wiser to retain Bjork; however, it’s likely the sheer fact he isn’t a center that means he was moved down.

Backes, although not as good as he used to be, can fill-in at center in a fix. Bjork can’t really.

Brett Ritchie most likely made the team in light of his lack of injury history. Comparing his past two campaigns to Bjork, he’s played in 52 more games over the past two years and all at the NHL level.

Experience wins the day, even when you only tally the one assist in four pre-season games.

Given a little more time, Anders Bjork will surely be able to gain a greater level of trust from the coaching staff, but right now, it’d seem that he hasn’t quite done enough for his youthful exuberance to trump the tried-and-tested options.