With David Krejci’s line continuing to lag, Anders Bjork deserves an extended look in top-6

The calendar might have flipped to 2020, but David Krejci’s situation hasn't changed all that much over the last couple of years — tasked with driving the Bruins’ second line, without a consistent face to his right. 

After a 2018-19 campaign in which Krejci was part of 14 different line combinations that logged at least 15 minutes of 5v5 ice time, the B’s veteran pivot has once again had to produce with a carousel of wingers to his right this year — whether it be Charlie Coyle, Brett Ritchie, Karson Kuhlman and many more top-six candidates.

Even with that inconsistency, the results haven’t been all that disheartening for Krejci. A year removed from tying a career high with 73 points, Krejci is still on pace for 58 points over 75 games played. 

Defensively, there have been very few issues whenever Krejci has hopped over the boards, with opponents only tallying nine goals over the center’s 507:46 of ice time. That equals out to a 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes rate of 1.06 — second best on the club among skaters with over 200 minutes of 5v5 ice time. 

But down the other end of the ice, the underlying offensive numbers during Krejci’s shifts with his regular left winger in Jake DeBrusk raise some concern. 



Krejci and DeBrusk have been regulars in Boston’s lineup for years now, logging a combined 1,591 minutes of 5v5 ice time. This year, though, plenty of favorable starts in the offensive zone haven't exactly translated into top-six production. 

So far this season, Krejci and DeBrusk have skated together for 294:34 of 5v5 ice time, with 62.5 percent of their faceoffs coming in the offensive zone. 

While Boston might have a 10-7 edge in goals scored in that timeframe, if we were to look at expected goals (factoring in scoring chances, shot quality, etc.), opponents have an expected goals rate of 10.89 against Krejci + DeBrusk, with Boston’s xGF tabbed at 9.22. When it comes to overall scoring chances, opponents have held a 123-109 edge in 5v5 opportunities during that 294:34 of ice time.

Boston’s 4-1 loss to Edmonton on Saturday afternoon was particularly a tough look, with Boston landing zero shots on goal in Krejci and DeBrusk’s 5:01 of 5v5 ice time together. 

“I don’t know, I’d say everything but I don’t know if that’s fair,” Cassidy said Saturday of what’s not clicking between Krejci and DeBrusk. “But right now, they just haven’t connected for whatever reason. I don’t want to put it on one individual or the other. As a line they’re not — I’ve always talked to David, when he’s going he tends to pull people along. Jake’s also....been in the league for 180-some-odd games? Should be able to look after himself too at this point on a nightly basis, and they should be feeding off of one another.

“Charlie (Coyle) went in there, didn’t seem to generate much for them so we moved some people around. I mean, that’s clearly a group of players that, it doesn’t matter who they’re with, we need to see a little bit more attack out of them. Some nights it goes in, you go through stretches — everything goes in, something doesn’t — but I just think they’ve been too quiet for how good they are. And I don’t have a great answer for what the reason is, it might just be a stretch of the season we look back and say, ‘Hey, we’re off.’ Or it might be something a little more. But we pulled them apart today, we’ll see how it looks going forward.”

For now, it looks as though DeBrusk isn’t going to get bumped out of the top-six quite yet. But Anders Bjork might be in line for some much-deserved reps to Krejci’s right. 

After Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, it looks as though Bjork will be the latest RW candidate on that second line, giving Krejci a pair of speedy wingers to work with as that line looks to find a groove offensively. 

A DeBrusk-Krejci-Bjork line has only skated together for a little over seven minutes this season, but a promotion for Bjork is well-deserved, given the strides he’s made in what is on pace to be his first full season up in the NHL ranks (barring another season-ending injury). 

While the 23-year-old winger is only on pace for about 13 goals and 23 total points over 73 games played, Bjork’s speed and improved strength has made him one of the more standout contributors on what has often been a so-so bottom-six unit this season.

Bjork’s strong play as the F1 on the forecheck and his ability to pry pucks out of battles along the boards have often allowed Boston to both extend O-zone possessions and clear pucks out of his own end when out on a shift.

Krejci’s GA/60 rate is awfully impressive, but Bjork’s mark of 1.87 is also not too shabby — with Boston relinquishing 13 goals in his 417:49 of ice time. Add in that Bjork is averaging 7.32 individual scoring chances per 60 minutes (7th on Bruins), and the winger is doing enough on both ends of the ice to warrant a top-six look.

Bjork’s baseline offensive numbers don’t exactly do him justice, especially when plenty of his 5v5 minutes have been with bottom-six regulars like Coyle (212 minutes), Danton Heinen (142 minutes), Sean Kuraly (128 minutes) and Chris Wagner (89 minutes). 

We’ve seen Bjork fit in well when his skills are put to use in a top-six spot, such as his rookie year — in which a top line of him, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand generated a 4.46 goals scored per 60 minute rate back in 2017-18. 

Now, more than two years later, Bjork is more than overdue for another shot in that role.