Off-Season Departures; Who Should We See Go.

After another heartbreaking post-season exit, it is time for the Bruins brass to make some very difficult roster decisions; namely, ones which could see the departure of core players, most notably, free agent defenseman, Torey Krug (whose departure I will discuss further in another post). In their end-of-season press conference, both General Manager, Don Sweeney, and President of Hockey Operations, Cam Neely, agreed that changes will be coming to the Bruins this off-season — “We’re looking to make some changes to our group,” said Sweeney. “But, we have to — I’m not doing my job if I’m not looking to improve our hockey club on a daily basis without being dissatisfied. I know our group needs to be pushed and have hopefully some internal growth with some players that are coming up on waivers and they have to have an opportunity to make our hockey club. Otherwise, we make hard decisions.” Now, don’t be too alarmed, this does not mean stripping down the roster and “tanking” as many sports franchises often do, but it does mean being willing to transition the roster from the current core to the next. I believe you can do this while remaining a competitive, playoff team (although, not a Stanley Cup Contender) if done correctly. As mentioned in my previous post, I believe the Bruins should be looking to rebuild and transition the current core to the next. To do this inevitably involves moving on from some of your core players in hopes of obtaining valuable assets for the future. So, let us take a look at what some of those departures could, and should, be.

Before we begin, take warning Bruins fans, you may not enjoy who I think should be moved this off-season, especially where one of those players happens to be the Bruin’s top center-man for years now. Yup, that is right, #46, David Krejci, should be one of the players the Bruins should look to move this off-season (I bet many of you expected me to say Patrice Bergeron, but this should not even be considered) and here is why.

David Krejci, like his fellow center-man, Patrice Bergeron, is on the back-end of his career at 34 years old, and coming off two hip surgeries, one in 2009 and the second in 2015. Hip injuries, albeit common among NHL players, are significant, and can lead to an overall erosion in a players skating ability and productivity. A lot of credit should be given to Krejci, however, as he has still remained a solid second line center-man for the Bruins over the past few seasons while also working with a revolving door of wingers. In the past five seasons since his hip surgery in 2015, he has averaged 18 goals and 37.4 assists for an average of 55.4 points per season over the past 5 regular seasons according to hockey-reference.com. These are good point totals, and about the average you would like to see from a second line center-man in the NHL. However, the post-season is a far different animal than the regular season. David Krejci’s production in the playoffs, although a force earlier in the decade, has taken a steep decline. Since the 2012–2013 post-season, Krejci has 11 goals and 42 assists for a combined 53 points in 64 playoff games according to hockey-reference.com. Although not terrible, keep in mind he also has a combined plus/minus of -8 over those past 5 post-seasons; his only positive +/- was a plus 5 in last years Stanley Cup Final run. Not great for a player you go to to provide secondary scoring, and not great for a team looking to make a final run at a Stanley Cup championship.

A lot of Krejci’s post-season woes can definitely be chalked up to not having the top-6 power forward type wingers he covets like the late Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, and Jarome Iginla, but a lot of it can also be attributed to his age and physical wear and tear. He has lacked the offensive explosiveness, skating speed, and play making skills we were so used to seeing from him, especially in the post-season. For any team in the NHL, if you hope to have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup, you need quality performance from, not just your top line, but your second line as well. This, for the most part, has been absent from the Bruins, and it does not help anything if Krejci just isn’t able to reach that level he once could.

Now, Krejci is approaching the final year in his 6 year, $43.5 million dollar contract with an annual cap hit of $7.25 million per. Krejci could, and should be, on the trading block. His production in the post-season has not been nearly what it should be or needs to be, and he certainly is not getting any better or younger. The recent signing of fellow center-man, Charlie Coyle, seems to suggest that the Bruins are, more than likely, preparing for Krejci’s departure (Charlie Coyle is averaging 16:47 TOI per game, David Krejci is averaging 17:10 per game, very close). This should not come as unwanted news, however, as his departure means not only freeing up valuable cap space, but it also allows the younger players, like Jack Studnicka, in the Bruin’s system to develop and grow into the next core group. Furthermore, if Don Sweeney entertains trade offers for David Krejci (who now can be open to a trade to one of 15 teams of his choosing), he could also look to get back a high draft pick or a young, NHL ready left-shot defenseman, or top 6 winger to add to the current young core of players in the Bruin’s system. His salary and age may lower his value, but to a team looking to make a run at the Stanley Cup now, David Krejci would be a nice role piece to many teams.

Krejci was undoubtedly a very valuable player for the Boston Bruins. He helped us get to three Stanley Cup Championships, and bring one of them back to Boston. However, the time is now to move on from the 34 year old center-man and look to build towards the future of the organization.

The next departure we could, and should, see is that of long time Captain and Norris Trophy Winner, #33, Zdeno Chara. Much like David Krejci, Chara has done a lot for this team, both on and off the ice. He has been, as Tyler Seguin recently described, the “Ultimate Leader”, and a stalwart on the Bruins back end for years now. He helped bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston, has played through numerous injuries (most notably his broken jaw in last years Stanley Cup Finals), won the Norris Trophy, and has been the leader for this team and all of the young players in the system, particularly his most recent defense partner, and heir apparent, Charlie McAvoy. Chara has become one of Boston’s most favorite and long-lasting athletes, who, much like the infamous Tom Brady, continues to defy time at 43 years of age. It will be no surprise, then, to see his number retired, and a banner hoisted with his name in TD Garden. However, despite all of this, it should be time to move on from the 6'9, left-shot defenseman.

In his prime, Chara was an absolute force; an elite, shutdown defender who would make opposing teams’ top players think twice before dumping the puck in his corner. His would disrupt plays with his long reach, his physicality would bully other players into submission, and his shot would make most goalies tremble in their gear. Now, however, at 43 years old, although still more physically fit than a majority of people half his age, his play on the ice has taken a considerable turn for the worse. Chara has become painfully slow, evident by how many times faster skaters can just blow by him. He has lost some of that physicality he was so well known for, most likely due to the fact that it takes him so long to get back into position after a hit, and his ability to help move the puck up the ice and out of the zone is average at best. Head Coach Bruce Cassidy has obviously noticed this as well, and it is clearly evident with his average TOI. Going back to 2010–2011, Chara used to average 25:26 TOI during the regular season and 27:39 in the playoffs, as expected for your number one, shut-down defender. However, this past year, Chara averaged 21:01 TOI during the regular season and just 19:47 in this years playoffs according to hockey-reference.com. His point totals have also taken a steep decline, going from anywhere between 30–50 points per season from 2002–2016, to less than 20 points per season since 2017–2020.

Fully aware of Chara’s deficiencies, Bruce Cassidy has looked towards the young Charlie McAvoy, and his slick puck movers in Matt Grzelcyk and Torey Krug, to step up for the aging defenseman. In fact, frequently when the Bruins need scoring, more offense, and/or if they play a fast team like the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Lightning, etc., he turns to the McAvoy — Grzelcyk pairing. In the 455:54 minutes of 5v5 ice time for the McAvoy — Grzelcyk pairng, the Bruins have outshot opponents 502–339, have had 257–157 high danger scoring chances for, and a 59% scoring for percentage according to Anthony Travalgia of Hockey Buzz. Many have criticized McAvoy for his lack of offensive production, and although the blame is not entirely on Chara, his glacial speed and poor transition game is most undoubtedly a factor, forcing McAvoy to pick up more defensive responsibilities.

The decline in Zdeno Chara’s productivity should come as no surprise to anyone. Most NHL defensemen start seeing a drastic decline in overall play by the time they are 33 to 34 years of age according to hockey-graphs.com. Chara at 43 years of age is already far past that. His time on ice, point production, and poor skating ability are just further evidence that he is far and beyond the player he once was. Therefore, if the Bruins do move on from their Norris Trophy Defenseman, as they should, it should not come as surprise to anyone, particularly us Bruins fans. But, despite time rearing it’s ugly head on the Bruins Captain, he most likely will be returning to the Bruins on another 1 year deal — “I’m positive and feel like I can still play and contribute to this team. I want to be a Boston Bruin. That hasn’t changed.” says Chara. If this is the case, however, the Bruins need to be clear with their Captain: he should be in a far lesser role, playing only on the third pair and in PK situations; he should expect to be a healthy scratch, particularly when playing younger, faster teams, and, since being a Captain entails being the best, if not one of the best players on the team, I would also give the “C” to no one other than Patrice Bergeron. I know that these are definitely steep terms, but they are terms that we, and Chara, have to work with, especially if he wants to remain on the team. Otherwise, I think it is about time for the monster defenseman to step down, and pass the mantel to his clear successor, Charlie McAvoy.

In addition to departing from David Krejci and Zdeno Chara, Don Sweeney and co. should, and may, depart from starting goaltender, #40, Tuuka Rask. This may leave many Bruins Fans scratching their heads, but the reason for this, I think, is pretty obvious.

It is with no doubt that Tuuka Rask has been one of the best goalies, not just in the league, but in Bruins history. Per Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports, Rask is “The best regular-season goaltender in Bruins history.” with 291 wins, 13,711 saves, and a .922 save percentage. He has won the Vezina trophy and has been an NHL all-star selection. This is all on top of his impressive 2018–2019 post-season campaign in which he posted a 15–9 record with a .934 save percentage. However, like all of these players, I make my judgements not solely on their play in the regular season, but on their playoff performance, where the pressure is on, the intensity of play at it’s peak, and the end of the season is on the line. This is where player performance is most important, and where players should be judged and critiqued the most.

First and foremost, his recent opt out of the post-season was enough to turn the heads of many Bruins fans as well as the rest of the NHL. Unless you live under a rock, everyone who is even vaguely familiar with the NHL heard the news that Tuuka Rask opted out of the 2019–2020 playoffs, shortly after the Bruin’s Game 2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. A lot of news has come out since then about the reason for his departure (family emergency involving his daughter) and the full support that the Bruins Organization, and teammates, gave him. General Manager, Don Sweeney, said in his end of the year press conference that “I have zero reservations about where Tuukka will be, both on and off the ice for us….I think we’re in a really good spot with our goaltending.” I too will not knock him for leaving the bubble to attend to a family emergency as family does come first. But, weather we like to admit it or not, it most definitely left a mark on his resume as a player and undoubtedly left a blemish with the organization. Halak, who has been a very serviceable back-up, is no where near the talent level of Tuuka Rask, and his lack of quality play (probably due to the fact he hadn’t played in an NHL game since March) was a sure cause (among many) of the Bruins being bounced by the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. Don’t misunderstand, I still believe that Tampa would have won the series regardless if Rask was in, but could it have gone six, maybe seven games? I believe it might have. Also keep in mind, this is not the first time Rask has had some sort of “emergency” that has kept him off the ice. Going back to the 2018 season, there was a stretch of games early in the year where he had to take a leave of absence for a few games due to some sort of personal emergency. This was another controversial moment in Rask’s tenure as a Boston Bruin, making many question his dedication and compete level, rightfully so.

Prior to his early departure in this years playoffs (in fact, right after the Game 2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes the night before) Rask made comments about the “feel” of this post-season and the “challenges” playing in the playoff bubble. He described it as not feeling like “playoff hockey out there” and that “it just feels like dull at times……There are moments when there are scrums and whatnot, and then there will be five minutes when it’s coast-to-coast hockey. There’s no atmosphere. So it feels like an exhibition game.” Hearing this most definitely did not have many Bruins fans, and for that matter the organization, feeling all that great. I mean, how could you feel good about your goaltending, or team, when one of it’s marquee players feels as though the playoffs are “dull” and more like “exhibition games”. In my opinion, this just solidifies the fact that yes, Tuuka Rask has the talent to be one of the best goaltenders in the league for years to come, but does he have the mettle, the make up, the mind set? Does he even want the Stanley Cup? Can he balance his career with his family? From years of watching and listening to the starting goaltender, I don’t believe that he does not have the winning mind set needed to help bring this team the Stanley Cup. Talent, yes, mind set, no.

In addition to his questionable mind set, Tuuka Rask, in my opinion, has also not been the clutch goaltender that he could be when his team needs him to be. Again, talking about the playoffs, since 2013, Tuuka Rask, in game deciding, elimination games(not just game 7's), has won just 3 out of 8, posting a .874 save percentage and allowing 3.13 goals against per game. In those three games he has won, the team in front of him has had to score 3 or more goals to win and have allowed 3 or more goals (with the exception of one game). In elimination playoff games, a team needs to be able to rebound, to play harder then they have ever played before, with more desperation than they ever have before. They need to step up, remain disciplined and structured, and play great hockey. It is what makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so much fun to watch and leave anybody who is anybody, on the edge of their seats with immense anxiety and excitement. This Bruins team has shown their share of effort, grit, and intensity in these moments, but have seemed to falter more than they have succeeded. The same can be said of their goaltender, who plain and simply, is not reliable in big games, something a goaltender must be if a team expects to make a deep run in the playoffs. Obviously, he is not entirely to blame for each of his 5 losses. The team in front of him is also to blame, but the fact of the matter is, if you need your goaltender to help steal you a game, particularly in an elimination game, you probably should not count on Tuuka Rask. Hence I stand by former NBC Sports writer, Joe Haggerty, when he said only a few years ago that the Bruins “won’t win a Stanley Cup with Tuuka Rask in net.”

Now, despite publicly stating that he was happy with their goaltending situation, TSN’s Trade Bait columnist, Frank Seravalli, recently wrote that Don Sweeney may actually be “quietly listening” on offers for his #1 starting goaltender. Seravalli goes on to say “multiple sources indicate that Bruins GM Don Sweeney has initiated conversations with teams about Rask’s market value over the last number of weeks.” Could this mean that Rask is on his way out already? Or is Don Sweeney merely testing the waters in what could be a very bumpy off-season for most teams, given the flat salary cap they will be up against. Whatever the cause, one cannot help but think that the Bruins organization also sees the flaws with Tuuka Rask and are…troubled…by his sudden post-season exit in this years playoffs, particularly when the window for this aging core group is coming to a close. Don Sweeney would not be doing his job if he was not testing the waters to see what value his goaltender holds to other NHL teams and I believe, if the price is right, Rask’s days with the Bruins may be numbered, and they should be.