Since the Boston Bruins fired Jim Montgomery last month, they have been playing much better under interim coach Joe Sacco. Have they been perfect? No, but some players who struggled under their former coach earlier this year are playing better, while some have yet to find any consistency this season.
There are a number of players who have had an up-and-down season so far. The fourth line of John Beecher, Cole Koepke, and Mark Kastelic was their best line in October, but as the season has gone along, they have come back to earth. Beecher was a scratch against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at the TD Garden in their 4-0 win, but it is time that Sacco seriously considers benching or at least scaling back the ice time for another forward.
Bruins must start limiting Trent Frederic's ice-time
Early in the season, Bruins forward Trent Frederic was the subject of trade rumors, with teams checking in to see if GM Don Sweeney would be willing to move the former first-round pick. He is a free agent following the season, and if the Black and Gold are not going to re-sign him, it's time to consider that move. If not, it is time to start cutting back his ice time by A LOT.
Let's face it, Frederic has been nothing short of bad lately. He has five goals and six assists in 38 games this season with a dreadful plus/minus of minus-13. In his last nine games, he has not recorded a point with a minus-6. His last points came on Dec. 7 when he scored two goals in a win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the TD Garden.
Since then, he has been invisible. He has recently centered the third line and other than skating around for nearly 14 minutes a night and not accomplishing very little if anything. Keep rolling him out on a nightly basis is just sucking up a roster spot from a younger player.
Hear me out, if the Bruins are going to continue to play Frederic at the center, it's time, I mean it's long overdue for him to be a scratch. Players like Beecher, who are bringing more to the table now than Frederic are being scratched. Why not bring up Matthew Poitras from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and let him center the third line? It can't be any worse than it is now.
It feels like it is just a matter of time before Frederic is traded before the March trade deadline, but we thought the same thing two years ago with Jake DeBrusk. Right now, there are better lineup options and it's time that Frederic sits out a game or two and sees what the younger players can do. If not, his ice time needs to be seriously cut back.