The Boston Bruins have missed defenseman Torey Krug for three games. His absence will continue for at least another day. Can Matt Grzelcyk step up and replace Krug at a full-time stance somewhere in the future?
As the offseason slowly nears, the Boston Bruins face an intriguing question. Can they retain the services of Torey Krug, who is going to become an unrestricted free agent next summer? There were speculations, and wishes, that Matt Grzelcyk may substitute him full-time if the Bruins can’t re-sign Krug.
However, it’s not as straightforward as it might seem. Firstly, Grzelcyk is a terrific defenseman. In Toronto last Friday, in the Bruins´ big divisional game against the Maple Leafs, Grzelcyk showed up and posted tremendous numbers. At even strength, the 25-year-old left-shot defenseman had CF% at 63.16, and xGF% at 83.80, being topped only by his defensive partner, Brandon Carlo.
Against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, his stats weren’t that amazing, mainly because the Caps fired 44 shots on Jaroslav Halak. In other words, it was incredibly difficult for anyone to record more shot attempts than to suffer them. Only two players, David Krejci, and Par Lindholm had better CF% than 50%.
Matt Grzelcyk has not missed a game so far this season, and he has recorded CF% of 53.97 and xGF% of 56.39 at even strength. At the latter, he has been topped only by Steven Kampfer, who has participated in only two contests so far this season.
Having Grzelcyk in the lineup is immense for the Bruins’ chances to move the puck. The Bruins Head coach Bruce Cassidy was thrilled with his play as well. “He doesn’t have Krug’s shot yet. But he certainly can get up the ice and make plays. We’ve seen that with Grizz.”
“We know Grizz has some of that in him. He’s not Torey yet, offensively. Is there a chance down the road he could be? We’re all hoping that,” said Cassidy. Grzelcyk is more than ready to be there if Krug is not available, momentarily, or forever.
However, Grzelcyk doesn’t run the power play as the Bruins would have liked to. During the three-game sample missing Torey Krug, the Bruins top power-play unit is 0-for-7. More than that, the power play looked rather miserable.
Last year after the playoffs, Krug sincerely said that nobody can do what he does here in Boston. That’s ultimately true. Cassidy expressed they would like to see a bit better offense from Grzelcyk. However, it’s not there yet.
When is Grzelcyk going to reach the demanded level? That’s broadly uncertain. Judging on the current form, Torey Krug is lights out compared to Grzelcyk quarterbacking the Bruins’ power play. If the Bruins lose Krug in the offseason, they have to find a top power-play quarterback elsewhere than in Grzelcyk.