He’s often forgotten about or derided as too costly, but second-line center David Krejci proved dominant in the Boston Bruins’ series win over the Hurricanes.
David Krejci has so often found himself as the perfect trade-chip in Boston Bruins fans’ hypothetical deals. That is bound to happen when you’re playing on the second-line while carrying a $7.25 million cap hit.
However, during the course of the first round series against the Canes, something clicked between Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and their new line-mate Ondrej Kase. All of a sudden, the chemistry and combination play made them our scariest line at even-strength.
With 8 points in the series, David Krejci heads into the second round as the Boston Bruins leading point scorer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs proper. He was so impressive that he saw more ice-time (albeit by just over a minute) than the Boston Bruins lead center Patrice Bergeron.
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Now, in large part this would be due to the absence of David Pastrnak for most of the series. That situation led Bergeron and linemate Brad Marchand to be utilised a little less than they might normally have been.
You can also put a little of his improved performance down to the addition of a reliable right-winger to his line. There is also the advantage of Kase sharing a common native language with Krejci, meaning they can potentially discuss any plays in a better level of detail.
Whatever the case, it served to highlight that he is still a top-tier performer when given the right people to work with. For so long, he struggled with a rotating cast on his right.
Depth is always key in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially at center and with Krejci and Charlie Coyle on form, the Bruins don’t have to totally rely upon Bergeron all the time.
That can only be good for the team as we move into the second round. The more evenly we can spread the ice-time, surely the harder it is on our opposition to continually defend.
Long may Krejci’s impressive performances continue too. He is proving that age is but a number right about now. In fact, you could easily say that age overcame youth in our first round series.