Bruins Mid-season Report Card

Welcome back! With the league on pause for All-Star Weekend there has been very little Bruins news to talk about. With the team just past the halfway point of the schedule, here are my grades up to this point.

Team: B+

· Through 43 games Boston sits at 26-14-3, good for 55 points and the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. While the first quarter of the season was underwhelming, the Bruins have really begun to click since the calendar changed to 2022. It hasn’t been perfect, but the B’s are looking like a likely playoff team again.

General Manager Don Sweeney: C-

· The 2021 offseason is looking very lukewarm for Don Sweeney. None of the additions have been homeruns, and his handing Jake DeBrusk situation has been puzzling. This could be a very important trade deadline for Sweeney in regards to his long-term job security.

Head Coach Bruce Cassidy: B+

· Another solid coaching performance from Bruce Cassidy. His decision to pair David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall and putting Erik Haula between them really got this team going after a slow start. On a side note, for a coach that has been criticized for burying young players, his confidence in Oskar Steen has been refreshing.

Forwards

Brad Marchand: A+

· What else can you say at this point? The best LW in the NHL is the most important player on this team and he never disappoints. At 21-28-49 in 38 games, Marchand is an MVP candidate yet again.

David Pastrnak: B+

· I really wanted to make this an A- but I just could not downplay Pasta’s slow start to the season. After not scoring a goal in December, Pastrnak exploded for 12-7-19, upping his season totals to 22-21-43 in 43 games. 40 goals is a possibility again

Patrice Bergeron: A

· The Bruins captain has continued his dominant 2-way play with 12-22-34 in 42 games. He also has an incredible FO% of 63%. The 36 year old Bergeron was an All-Star again, and he doesn’t appear to have slowed down one but.

Taylor Hall: B-

· This season has been a bit of a mixed bag for Taylor Hall. Like the rest of the team, Hall has really started to find his groove since he began playing with David Pastrnak. There are still too many periods where he disappears, but he is producing solid numbers at 10-19-29 through 43 games.

Charlie Coyle: B+

· I have been a fan of Charlie Coyle’s game this year. He performed well in his time as 2LC even though the fit with Taylor Hall was not great. While his stat line (10-10-20 in 43 games) isn’t eye popping, the important number for me is 17:26 TOI/GP. Coach Bruce Cassidy trusts him in all situations, and he has become very dependable.

Erik Haula: C+

· It has been a tale of two seasons for Erik Haula. He was absolutely terrible as 3C, finding himself in the press box on a few occasions. Since being moved to 2LC between Hall and Pastrnak, Haula has been a lot better. His skill level makes him a far better fit than Coyle in that spot, and he has produced an okay 5-11-16 in 40 games.

Jake DeBrusk: C-

· Invisible for long stretches. Flashes of brilliance. A trade request leaked to the public. Par for the course for the amazingly frustrating winger and former first round pick. I give him some credit for still playing hard and forming a pretty good 3rd line with Charlie Coyle and Oskar Steen. GM Don Sweeney would be wise to fulfill his trade request soon.

Craig Smith: D+

· A really underwhelming season for Craig Smith so far. He missed a little time with injury and really just hasn’t found his footing yet. With a paltry 6-8-14 in 36 games the production just hasn’t been there, even after being moved to line 1 with Marchand and Bergeron. The Bruins need Craig Smith to get back to form in the second half.

Curtis Lazar: C

· With 5-6-11 in 36 games as an energy winger on the 4th line, Lazar has been passable and certainly an upgrade on Chris Wagner.

Tomas Nosek: B+

· I love Tomas Nosek and believe he has been the best of Don Sweeney’s offseason acquisitions. 3-7-10 in 37 games may not be impressive, but Nosek has been a very dependable Swiss Army knife for Bruce Cassidy. He kills penalties, wins over 53% of his face-offs, and has shown the ability to play up and down the lineup. Just a really solid player.

Anton Blidh: B

· Anton Blidh is a great story. Drafted back in 2013, he has played at least 1 game in every season since 16-17. It took until this season for him to really stick however. His speed, tenacity, and ability to agitate have been great for the 4th line. He deserves a regular spot.

Nick Foligno: D-

· The highest priced of the Bruins offseason acquisition amongst skaters; Foligno has had a disaster of a year. He didn’t score his first goal until January, and sits at a terrible 1-6-7 in 26 games. He’s missed time with injuries and just hasn’t found chemistry with any line mates. At full strength there is a real argument that he should be 13th forward.

Oskar Steen: B+

· One of the pleasant surprises of this season has been the emergence of Oskar Steen as a regular NHLer. He’s not lighting up the score sheet with 2-4-6 in 18 games, but his speed and feistiness has been a welcome addition to the 3rd line. He should never see Providence again.

Trent Frederic: D

· The clock is starting to tick on former first round pick Trent Frederic. He isn’t really fast enough to be an effective 4th line energy guy but also doesn’t have the skill to be a top 9 regular. He has also missed time with injuries on two separate occasions. He should not play over Anton Blidh.

Jack Studnicka: INC (but bad)

· After what I thought was a tremendously impressive preseason, Jack Studnicka yet again failed to make a good impression in his 5 game stint at the NHL level with only 1 assist. While he is still only 22 years of age, his career totals of 1-4-5 in 27 games are a bit concerning. If he gets another chance this year he needs to start showing something.

Defense

Charlie McAvoy: A

· Fresh off inking an 8-year, $76 million contract extension, McAvoy has continued his ascent into the top 5 of NHL defenseman. Offensive numbers have taken off this year with 7-21-28 in 40 games, largely in part to his promotion to PP1 (15 power play points). While those numbers will still be a tick lower than the other similarly priced defenseman, his physicality and ability to defend make him special. Great player having a great season.

Matt Grzelcyk: B-

· Offense has been okay with 2-14-16 in 39 games, but I think he has struggled when not paired with Charlie McAvoy. While they are great together, it would benefit the Bruins if Grzelcyk could anchor the second pair. Finding the right pairings will be important for Bruce Cassidy in the second half.

Mike Reilly: C-

· I have a love hate relationship with Mike Reilly. When he is using his skating legs and handling the puck he can be an effective puck moving defenseman. The problem with Reilly is that it seems to come and go. Not the greatest defender so the B’s need him to find some consistency.

Derek Forbort: B-

· Not the flashiest guy but Forbort has shown to be effective in the right role. He isn’t a good fit playing next to McAvoy regularly, but as a second or third pairing defensive defenseman he is fine. Players like him are useful come playoff time.

Brandon Carlo: C

· Really not the best season for Carlo thus far. He is never going to score a lot from the backend, but his trademark steady game has not been there a lot this year. On the bright side, Carlo has been healthy this year. The Bruins will need that to continue if they want to make noise in the post-season.

Urho Vaakanainen: A- (limited time)

· While he’s only played 13 games, Urho Vaakanainen seems to have arrived as a top 4 NHL defenseman. He’s averaging over 19 minutes a game and has really played well. Left the final game before the break after a questionable hit from behind from Yanni Gourde so hopefully he doesn’t miss any time. He could either be the full time internal solution to the Bruins defensive depth issues or be a key trade piece.

Connor Clifton: D

· With the emergence of Vaakanainen, Clifton has been relegated to 7th defenseman. The 27 games he has played have been less than impressive. Over the last year and a half he seems to have lost the chaotic, hard-nosed style that earned him a spot in the first place.

Goaltenders

Linus Ullmark: B

· It was a really slow start for Linus Ullmark, who needed some time to adapt to his new team. He has been great since early December, and goes into the break at 16-6-1 in 24 games, with a .913 sv% and 2.64 GAA. He has played better than those numbers suggest.

Jeremy Swayman: B

· It has been an interesting season for Jeremy Swayman. He won the 1a spot in training camp, started opening night, and performed fairly well. Swayman was sent to Providence when Tuukka Rask returned, but I predict he will still be a regular contributor down the stretch. There is an argument that he is the best of the Bruins trio in goal right now.

Tuukka Rask: D (limited time)

· While rust was certainly expected after surgery in the offseason, I don’t think anyone expected it to be this bad. In 4 games he has an .844 sv% and a 4.28 GAA. He also re-aggravated his injury and was placed on IR right before the break. Prediction time: Tuukka retires before the end of the season is over. He just doesn’t look right and is not the type of guy to want to be in a position that hurts the team.