{"id":131301,"date":"2022-08-08T10:49:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T14:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=131301"},"modified":"2022-08-08T10:49:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T14:49:30","slug":"five-players-that-need-to-step-up-for-the-boston-bruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/08\/08\/five-players-that-need-to-step-up-for-the-boston-bruins\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Players That Need To Step Up For The Boston Bruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is one division that has gotten better during the off-season, it is the Atlantic Division. You saw teams such as the Ottawa Senators<\/a>, Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, and the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> go out and get players to bolster the clubs. The Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> kept its core intact and the Florida Panthers<\/a> pulled off Matthew Tkachuk<\/a>. One team that seems to be lagging behind is the Boston Bruins. Despite swapping Erik Haula<\/a> for Pavel Zacha<\/a>, the club has not made any drastic moves and could find itself falling behind the pack. The Boston Bruins still have good players that can keep this team in a good spot. It just remains to be seen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston Bruins Need Players To Step Up<\/h2>\n

The Boston Bruins need players to step up to the plate. The Bruins have had to go through a brutal off-season<\/a> regarding terrible news. Don Sweeney<\/a> fired Bruce Cassidy<\/a> and replaced him with Jim Montgomery<\/a>. Once the playoffs ended, the Bruins found out they would be without key players to begin the year. Charlie McAvoy<\/a>, Brad Marchand<\/a>, and Matt Grzelcyk<\/a> will all be unavailable for the first three months to start the year after going through surgery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the slew of injuries to key players, the Bruins will need players to step up big in their absence. As the roster is currently constructed, the Bruins now have Bergeron signed. While David Krejci<\/a> is looking to come back, no traction has been made. Those are huge shoes to fill, and you can say the shoe for Krejci did not get filled last season. <\/span><\/p>\n

With a stacked division where almost every club improved, the Bruins must stay afloat to remain in the playoff picture. All over the lineup, the club will need players to step up. We will examine which players the Bruins need to step up to remain in the thick of things as they cannot afford a bad start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Five Players<\/h3>\n

Hampus Lindholm<\/a><\/h4>\n

He is the first and foremost of Boston Bruins players to be relied on. McAvoy is the franchise defenceman on the back end and is the stallion workhorse. But with him out, Lindholm will need to pick up the slack. He has proven in the past he can handle first pair minutes. He did that with his former team the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> and is also McAvoy\u2019s partner on the back end. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lindholm is not the most gifted player in terms of developing offence. However, what he is good at doing is defending. He limits his opposition from generating much off the rush and forces more dump-ins than anything. Lindholm is a good stay-at-home defenceman and good in transition. He is a player that is great on the penalty kill and his shut-down ability is something the Bruins will need to rely on. With McAvoy on the shelf for the first three months, Lindholm will be the number one guy on the back end.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Went back and tracked the 89 playoff games this postseason. Then wrote all about it @EPRinkside<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s Part 1 on defending the blue line. Why rush defense is so important in today’s game, who was the best at it, and how they did ithttps:\/\/t.co\/IpNYtHSvi4<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ozbMcXfnXN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) July 27, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Upon his arrival in Boston, Lindholm had five assists in 10 games and finished the year with five goals, 22 assists, and 27 points. He finished second in points among Bruins defenders. Lindholm finished with a Corsi For Percentage of 48%. He averaged 22:30 TOI and that will be huge once the season starts. Over his career, he has notched 57 goals and 164 assists, totaling 221 points. Throughout his career, from a possession standpoint, Lindholm has a career Corsi For Percentage (CF%) at 50.8 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Losing McAvoy hurts more than anything, but having a guy like Lindholm anchor the back end goes a long way for the Boston Bruins. Brandon Carlo<\/a> is the shutdown player and Mike Reilly<\/a> will step up in place of Matt Grzelcyk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie Coyle<\/a><\/h4>\n

Bergeron and Krejci have been the 1-2 punch for over a decade. With only Bergeron in the fold as of right now, the hole at the centre position is glaring. The Bruins will need huge contributions at the position, and one player that will need to elevate their game is Charlie Coyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Weymouth\u2019s Charlie Coyle named Bruins 7th Player https:\/\/t.co\/y1O32Vv1sZ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tUIoaDZBda<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Patriot Ledger (@PatriotLedger) July 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n