The Boston Bruins love to be a difficult team to play against. They built their forward depth with a bunch of players who aren't afraid to throw their bodies around and mix it up, and that plan largely worked for most of the year. However, where it is best seen is in their defense group, which includes four of six regulars standing above 6-foot-3, and Charlie McAvoy and Jonathan Aspirot playing with a tenacity that makes them seem much bigger than they actually are.
The front office is hoping to keep that trend of size going, implementing a plan that the Florida Panthers use, where they liken their defense group to "going through a car wash," as there is always someone there to get a stick or body on opposing forwards, thanks to the size and reach. It isn't a bad team to try and take advice from, but we know how short this year's Bruins team fell of reaching that ultimate goal.
One of the leading reasons for the Bruins' shortcomings against the Buffalo Sabres was the lack of mobility on the backend. Teams like the Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens, in these playoffs, with Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson, are proving that you don't need six physically punishing, defensive-minded defensemen. Any team could find a use for a smaller offensive defenseman.
The Bruins are going to have to get creative with their 22nd overall pick in this year's draft. The problem with their playoff run and the Toronto Maple Leafs not falling out of the top five was that the Bruins won't be able to add another top-end prospect through the draft. However, in the range Boston is drafting, there could be two of those offensive-upside defensemen available if the front office can stomach taking an undersized defenseman.
Ryan Lin and Xavier Villeneuve are two defensemen standing at 5-foot-11 who have tremendous offensive upside. There are plenty of people in on Lin in the public scouting world, which makes it a bit more unlikely that he falls to the Bruins, as the consensus is that he could be the next great blueliner in the Hutson mold.
Villeneuve had a ton of hype entering his draft year, but his defensive play fell off a bit over the QMJHL season. If he can clean that up, he'll likely be a steal for whoever can get him later in the first round. He's a bit more of a risk, but if the Bruins are going to swing for a higher upside pick, it'd be an interesting selection.
It'd be outside the Bruins' mold to take this style of defenseman. However, with some of the drafting and development decisions going a bit stale over the past decade, it might be time for a new strategy.
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