Boston Bruins: David Krejci holds the keys in Patrice Bergeron’s absence

Patrice Bergeron will miss the next two games with an injury. Fortunately for the Boston Bruins, David Krejci is there to fill that top line role.

All NHL teams deal with injuries, so we never want to use them as an excuse. That said, we’ve finally reached the point of craziness on the injury-front with the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins seem to deal with a new injury every day. This time, it’s Patrice Bergeron who will miss another set of games. Bergeron missed time two weeks ago with a lower-body injury.

According to coach Bruce Cassidy, Bergeron won’t travel with the Bruins early on Tuesday, so he’ll miss the games against Montreal and Ottawa. To take Bergeron’s spot on the roster, the Bruins recalled Jack Studnicka from Providence.

We can’t expect Studnicka to fill in for Bergeron at this point, and the Bruins certainly don’t either. These are only his first couple NHL games, so no way he’ll be ready to play in the top six. Instead, somebody else needs to step up to the first-line center role.

Who can replace Bergeron on that top line? Enter David Krejci.

Krejci moved to the first line at Monday’s practice, and this means he’ll likely skate in this role Tuesday in Montreal and Wednesday in Ottawa.

Krejci is the only center on the roster capable of that top line role. Studnicka, like we mentioned before, doesn’t have the experience, and Charlie Coyle lacks the offensive upside to make that line work.

Fortunately for the Bruins, Krejci will be up to the task. With him in the middle, don’t expect that top line to miss a beat.

Because of Bergeron’s presence in the lineup, people forget the level of talent Krejci brings to the table. He has incredible vision and playmaking skills, and when he’s on the ice, his linemates are always a threat to score.

Krejci had 73 points in 81 games last season without a reliable right wing. He did play the full year with Jake DeBrusk, but he’s not yet an elite scorer. Can you imagine if Krejci had high-scoring, consistent wingers?

As such, look for Krejci to light it up with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak at his wings. Pastrnak still leads the NHL in goals, while Marchand continues to prove night in and night out that he might be the best all-around wing in hockey.

Two weeks ago, when Bergeron missed a few games with injury, Krejci stepped in and certainly made that top line work. He functioned as the chief playmaker with three assists in two games. Marchand also had three assists, and Pastrnak had three goals.

Krejci then continued his pace when Bergeron returned to the lineup. In last Saturday’s win over Minnesota, Krejci scored two goals in the final two minutes to send the game to overtime.

Based on his current form, we know the top line will work with Krejci instead of Bergeron. Krejci and those two wings are simply too talented to not produce.

This is why Krejci continues to be so valuable to the Bruins. Fans often complain that he’s inconsistent, but how many teams have a second-line center who can produce like Krejci?

Because Krejci’s in the lineup, the Bruins can take things slow with Bergeron and give him time to totally rest. Then, at the end of the year, Bergeron and Krejci can give Boston that one-two punch down the middle that other teams lack.