Bruins Review

Bruins Year-in-Review

After exiting the playoffs by losing on their home ice in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals for the second straight year, you could argue that the Bruins have reached a plateau with the current mix of coaching and players.  But let’s try and look at this without the latest playoff performance in mind.

To begin the year, I could not, and did not blame the Bruins for the roster they had.  I certainly had questions and concerns, but given the circumstances I thought our GM made the right moves.  Bitz looked like a great addition to the lineup late in the year, and his role in 09-10 was going to be greater.  Wheeler looked every bit the steal when the Bruins signed him away from Phoenix, and we all thought he would improve.  Hunwick had flashed brilliance, and would be something of a revelation on the blue line.  Tim Thomas would continue to be a Vezina caliber goalie.  We understood that we saw some career years, and not everyone would perform at such high a level.

My amazingly unqualified analysis:  Krecji’s hip was still hurting early in the season, he wasn’t moving well, he avoided contact and couldn’t handle the puck the same.  Because of this Ryder and Wheeler carried the puck too much and were unable to get in positions to score themselves.  The first line disappeared.  Kessel was traded, Savard was injured, and Lucic without those two was lost.  Without the first line, Krecji’s line saw the best defensive players from the other teams, and was further shut down.  Bergeron stepped up, and was essentially the second center on the team, but the first one the biggest situations.  In the past he played defense on the powerplay, he killed penalties, he wasn’t expected to be a playmaker and scorer.  They finally figured out he can be a great play-maker.  Tim Thomas just looked angry and distracted.  You can look at the Winter Classic for a perfect example.  He didn’t stop a puck because he was busy trying to hit a Flyer in front of him.  I don’t know if he didn’t like having to fight for his job, or if getting the big contract made him relax too much.  Either way he was basically horrible all year.

There are a lot of pieces to consider for next year, something I’ll visit in more depth as the offseason progresses.  But I think at this point, that we can apply a few lessons learned from 09-10.  Marc Savard is a big-time center…when he has a big-time winger next to him.  He is merely human when paired with the likes of Daniel Paille.  A big time scorer is needed because effort cannot put the puck in the net by itself.  Ask Daniel Paille.  It seems like I am picking on him, but he was truly representative of the season.  He was fast, can get to pucks, and get in front, can get positions to shoot, and just cannot shoot with enough accuracy to beat an NHL level goalie.  It’s too bad because I really like his game, he just can’t finish, and neither did the Bruins.

What did you think of their season?  I’ll be evaluating potential free agents, reviewing signings, reviewing the draft, and looking at potential linemates during the offseason.  Always plenty of hockey to discuss in the Hub.