Ryan: Bruins' efforts toward preserving Patrice Bergeron further stresses need for impactful offseason

The Bruins’ window as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender is dwindling. 

An impactful offseason this fall will be necessary if Boston really truly wants to orchestrate another deep run with this current core still in place.

More changes will be on the way in 2021, with two cornerstones in Tuukka Rask and David Krejci set to enter unrestricted free agency. 

But beyond the looming free-agency decisions on the horizon, the main determinant in just how long this core can continue to pull on the rope and guide this roster back into the playoff might just be Father Time himself — especially when it comes to Boston's top man in the middle.

Despite the amount of mileage he's racked up over the years, the wheels haven't fallen off for Patrice Bergeron yet.

In fact, you could make the case that the 2019-20 season was one of the 35-year-old center's finest seasons, especially in the offensive zone. Had it not been for the COVID-19 pause in March, Bergeron (health permitting) would have easily eclipsed his career high in goals scored (32 in 2015-16), closing out this past regular season with 31 tallies in 61 games. 

During the regular season, Boston's top line of Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak continued to shred the competition, with Boston holding a 43-23 edge in 5v5 goals scored during that trio's 635:55 of 5v5 ice time together.

Barring any major injuries, Bergeron, even at his age, is still expected to continue to drive Boston's top line in 2020-21. Given his sound, two-way game and the talent to his left and right — don't expect a sudden drop-off when it comes to the innumerable ways in which Boston's franchise pivot contributes to his club's success, night in and night out.

But even if Bergeron's continued strong play persists into 2020 and for the next few seasons, it's rather evident that the Bruins simply can't continue to let their top forward log taxing minutes and assignments over the long course of an NHL campaign.

That sentiment is due in large part to Bergeron's age and the need to bottle up some of that energy for more meaningful games in the postseason, while another factor lies in the veteran's nagging injuries that — even when given the green light to play — rarely subside, especially when Bergeron's minutes are bumped up.

"Current state of health, the usual," Bergeron said of his postseason injuries when speaking via Zoom last week. "It’s been my groin over the last few years, nothing has changed. So, it’s kind of lingering issues and chronic issues – it’s on and off and comes in and out. I think it’s going to have to – I’m going to have to take some time off for that, just make sure it’s back feeling good. I know it’s obviously the same song and dance that I’ve been telling you guys for a few years. "

In an effort to keep their top center fresh over the last few seasons, Bruce Cassidy and his staff have made a concerted effort at primarily deploying Bergeron and his line in favorable situations, with a majority of their face-offs set in the offensive zone. In previous seasons, a younger Bergeron was often handed more reps down the other end of the ice, with his two-way excellence often prompting Boston's coaches to start him in Boston's own zone to help negate an opposing top-six unit. 

If we were to look at a stretch from 2013-16, Bergeron’s faceoff percentage in the offensive zone was:

2013-14: 46.45%
2014-15: 43.00%
2015-16: 44.91%

But, with both the development of Pastrnak as an offensive force — and the need to preserve Bergeron by giving him easier reps away from the draining minutes spent putting our fires in the B's end of the ice — Boston has made a concerted effort at lightening No. 37's defensive workload over the years — with



62.77% of his faceoffs coming in the offensive zone in 2019-20.

The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs was more of the same when it came to Cassidy deploying his top line in enemy territory, with 61.97% of Bergeron's faceoffs set in the O-zone (Boston outscored opponents, 5-2, in Bergeron's 157:52 of 5v5 ice time up in the Toronto bubble).

Given that Bergeron isn't getting any younger, it's fair to assume that Cassidy and the Bruins will continue to try to save their bullets when it comes to keeping their first-line center fresh and away from D-zone shifts as much as possible in 2020-21 and beyond. It's a prudent move in order to keep one of Boston's key cogs free from some of the grind that comes with each new NHL campaign, but one that creates an interesting domino effect in terms of roster construction going forward.

For as much as this strategy should give Boston more years of Bergeron performing as a top-flight pivot, it also furthers the need for other pieces of the Bruins' lineup to step up and pull on the rope in support of the future Hall of Famer. In what ways?

Boston needs its fourth line to return to form

If Bergeron and his line are going to have fewer and fewer reps in the defensive zone, there's going to have to be another forward trio that handles those added, undesirable shifts spent keeping an opponent's top forwards at bay in front of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Naturally, most of those shifts will go to Sean Kuraly and Boston's fourth line — especially with Boston likely looking to hand favorable O-zone shifts to other groups such as Krejci's crew on the second line.

The 2020 postseason saw such a gameplan carried out — with Joakim Nordstrom (the lone fourth-line regular that appeared in every game of the Tampa series) take an offensive-zone faceoff ZERO times against the Lightning. (No, seriously — 0 offensive-zone draws, 33 defensive-zone draws and 22 faceoffs in the neutral zone).

That's a daunting assignment, and one that blew up in Boston's face — as Tampa's big guns feasted against the B's fourth line throughout the Eastern Conference Semifinals. By the time Tampa emerged victorious in five games, the Bolts generated an absurd 77-27 edge in shot attempts and 34-12 advantage in shots on goal during Nordstrom's 51:49 of 5v5 ice time this series, with the Lightning holding a 5-0 edge in goals during that stretch.

Granted, that defensive futility doesn't fall solely on Nordstrom (who will likely depart in free agency next month), as Boston's checking line struggled to generate the consistency that allowed them to function as one of the stronger fourth lines in the NHL during the B's run to the Cup Final in 2019. With both Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner set to return and tempting options set to replace Nordstrom in Par Lindholm, Karson Kuhlman and Trent Frederic, Boston's fourth line desperately needs to return to form in short order next year — especially with heaps of defensive assignments on the way.

Surprise, surprise — Boston needs its secondary scoring to break out

Of course, even if Bergeron and his line are primarily deployed in the offensive zone once again in 2020-21, Boston can't keep relying on their 35-year-old center to be the lone conduit of 5v5 production on this roster.

This isn't breaking new ground of course if you've followed this team for years now, but with Boston now facing a pivotal offseason, the onus should be on Don Sweeney and his staff to do whatever they can to put this forward corps over the top, especially if it brings aboard a legitimate top-six talent to slot on the wing. Not only would such an acquisition balance out the scoring and make David Krejci a very happy man, the ability to rely on a line other than Bergeron's for consistent offense can go a long way towards Boston's efforts of not burning out Bergeron ahead of the playoff push.

There are a number of ways in which Boston can go about acquiring said talent (we'll be taking an extended look at all of these avenues in the coming weeks), but now is not the time for the B's to continue to rely hope for younger talent to be the primary way to supplement Boston's top-heavy offense.

The clock is ticking with this group — and especially Boston's franchise center.

"I guess every year, you always look at this one year and you want to seize the chance and the opportunity to win," Bergeron said of this team's contention window. "Because obviously you know that as you get older, your chance as a player shrinks every year. It doesn’t matter how old you are, as you’re getting up there in your career, you obviously learn that and the experience kind of makes you realize that it’s not easy to get to that point and to get to the ultimate goal. So, you’re trying to every year to seize that moment.

"That being said, I think it’s one of those things where I’m trying not to look too far ahead. I understand that it’s part of your job but I’m just trying to take it a year at a time right now. Unfortunately, it’s in the past and we have to look forward to next year. We don’t know necessarily what’s coming with the cap staying the same. Still the uncertainty of the pandemic and what not. Hopefully we start sooner rather than later and can still have most of the guys back and have another chance at it."