With John Moore back in the lineup, Boston’s blue line is set for some reshuffling

It hasn’t been an easy couple of months for John Moore, to say the least. Undergoing the first major surgery of his hockey career in the aftermath of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s been a long road to recovery for the 29-year-old defenseman.

After going under the knife on June 26 to repair a torn shoulder and broken humerus, Moore was handed a 4-to-6 month recovery timeline, one that stretched much longer than the veteran would have liked. 

Forced to miss all of training camp and the first two months of the regular season while making incremental progress day-by-day, Moore isn’t taking his expected return on Thursday night for granted, to say the least.

"It was a long recovery,” Moore told reporters on Tuesday. “You learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about who's in your foxhole. I'm really happy that there's a shining light at the end of the tunnel for me. … It’s a really special group in here and they really do a really good job of pulling you in and making you feel like you’re a part of it, even when your contribution is drinking a Gatorade in the weight room.”

After missing the first 28 games of the 2019-20 campaign, Moore is slated to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Blackhawks, giving Boston another option on the blue line and a regular PK contributor.

With Kevan Miller still not on the ice after another set-back in his recovery from knee surgery, this current crop of skaters should make up Boston’s D corps for the foreseeable future — barring any other injuries. 

So, with Moore back in the fold, how do the pieces now fall into place? 



For now, Boston's top-two pairings are going to remain intact, with Moore set to slot in for Connor Clifton on the third pair and skate next to Matt Grzelcyk. With both Moore and Grzelcyk tabbed as left-shot defensemen, it will be Grzelcyk that will make the switch to the right — a configuration that Boston utilized many times last season.

"Grizz is going to go to the right. I think they’re both better on the left. I think last year Grizz played more right, more comfortable there," Bruce Cassidy said. "I've actually discussed it with both of them. (I told them), 'I don't have a strong opinion either way. One of you has to do it, so if you can come to an agreement, it saves me stepping in.' It's gonna be Grizz tonight, we'll see how it works out."

Grzelcyk's versatility when it comes to moving to the right is a major coup for the Bruins, although the results generated by a 27-48 pairing last season left a bit to be desired.

During the 160:46 of 5v5 TOI that Grzelcyk and Moore skated together last season, Boston was outscored, 5-3, while getting outshot, 99-86. The underlying numbers are even more concerning, with opponents holding a 175-151 edge in shot attempts and a 40-18 advantage in high-danger scoring chances.

Not that great, considering that 61% of that pairing’s face-offs came in the offensive zone.

Of course, Moore could be in line for a rebound in his second season with Boston, especially as he gets more and more comfortable with the zone system that Cassidy has put in place — after years of working in a man-to-man system with the Devils.

But with Clifton now sitting on the bench (and unable to be sent down to Providence without hitting waivers first), Moore is going to have a relatively short leash when it comes to hitting the ground running this season.