If the Boston Bruins are going to orchestrate another deep playoff run in 2020, there stands a good chance that the usual suspects like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask will play a major role in said success. But if this Original Six franchise plans on getting past clubs like Tampa Bay and punching their ticket back to the Stanley Cup Final within the next few seasons, it's pretty evident that the next wave of talent on this roster is going to establish themselves as the next pillars of this franchise — and proving such with their on-ice contributions.
"That core group that’s here now grew into what they are because of their efforts and the culture created. We want that continuation to start at some point for the second layer, I though it did last year," Bruce Cassidy said. "Jake (DeBrusk) had a really good playoff his first year against Toronto, it’s a reason why we advanced, (Sean) Kuraly scored some big goals and now (Charlie) McAvoy, so you’re leaning on those guys to pull harder on the rope is what we’re going after. It’s as simple as that. We have a lot of trust and faith and our core guys are still carrying us, but it’s a full 20 guys and you need those other guys to step up sometimes."
Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at a couple of younger players on this B's roster that can (and likely have to) step up in a major way in 2020 — especially if Boston wants to keep its Cup-contention window open a little longer.
First up, we'll take a look at what could be Boston's new top defensive pair in 2020 and beyond:
Even if Zdeno Chara returns for a 15th season in a black and gold sweater, it's just about a given that the 43-year-old skater's extended tenure as a top-pairing defenseman is a relic of the past. Of course, Chara could still provide value to this club as a third-pairing option and PK ace, but a B's D corps potentially set to soldier on without Torey Krug next season will also be faced without another pressing challenge — determining who will slot next to Charlie McAvoy on Boston's top D pairing.
They may not have to look very far.
While it's generally only been showcased during situational matchups or fleeting stretches, there's an awful lot to like about the potential of Boston's blue line whenever McAvoy is given a chance to skate alongside another fleet-footed defenseman — and his former collegiate teammate — in Matt Grzelcyk.
Grzelcyk, a pending RFA who will already likely be in line for a major boost in terms of reps next season — especially on the man advantage — if Krug does indeed depart, offers a very different look on that top pair when compared to Chara's game, to say the least.
The Charlestown native's 5-foot-9, 174-pound frame doesn't cast the same shadow over an opposing set of skaters quite like Chara's, of course. But Grzelcyk's playmaking potential, skill in transition and still sound defensive play could give Boston a dynamic top pairing for the future and allow McAvoy to tap more into the offensive game that Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins are looking for more of next season — both from him and every regular in the club's D corps.
"Offensively, it’s something I’ve been doing my whole career," McAvoy said. "I don’t know what you’d call it beforehand, but all the way from youth hockey all the way through juniors and everything like that, I love playing on the offensive side as a defenseman. It’s something that I still love to do obviously. I think for me, I’m holding myself responsible to the fact that I want to contribute more and for me this offseason, I’m going to work a lot on that and try to figure out ways that I can grow and continue to move forward. I think that might be the next part of my game and development is to contribute more.
"It’s something that is tough because when it comes, it comes. It’s not something that you force as a defenseman. I think for me, I take much more pride in my D-zone and being able to say I did a great job defensively first. The offensive side is awesome and it’s something that obviously helps us win games when our D are able to contribute. I want to work on that. I want to figure out ways that I can continue to grow in that regard, whether it’s shooting the puck more or kind of cerebral stuff."
During the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, McAvoy and Grzelcyk were often slotted in together when Boston was in need of a jolt of offense — with 74.60% of their faceoffs set in the attacking zone. As expected, Boston's shot shares and chances generated during Grzelcyk-McAvoy's 67:01 of 5v5 ice time this postseason tilted heavily in the Bruins' favor – with Boston holding the edge in shot attempts (75-52) and high-danger scoring chance (17-6).
Having a partner in Grzelcyk that can both make the quick outlet pass and has the speed to recover and keep pucks in the O-zone should only lead to positive results for McAvoy’s overall game, but that new grouping is far from a sheltered pairing only deployed for offense.
Over three seasons, McAvoy and Grzelcyk have logged 505 minutes of even strength ice time together, with 57 percent of their faceoffs set in the offensive zone. (For reference, a pairing of Chara-McAvoy have an Off. Zone faceoff percentage of 45 percent.) So yes, this new potential top pairing might be granted more favorable ice than its predecessor, but not to the level as other pairings, as such Krug-Carlo (64.25%).
And the results speak for themselves when it comes to Boston's ability to not only generate offense, but also limit quality chances down the other end of the ice when Grzelcyk-McAvoy have been deployed together.
In that 505 minutes of even-strength ice time that the Grzelcyk-McAvoy pair has been utilized over the last three seasons, Boston holds the edge in:
Shot attempts: 551-390 (58.55% shot share)
Shots on goal: 309-222 (58.19% share)
Scoring chances: 280-184 (60.34% share)
High-danger scoring chances: 117-74 (61.26% share)
Goals scored: 32-20 (61.54% share)
Pretty damn good.
With McAvoy and Grzelcyk allowed to log heavy minutes and given more freedom to operate in the offensive zone, a reshuffled blue line could also see a player like Carlo handed more minutes in Boston's own zone, especially if paired next to a skater with a bit more of a grounded game when compared to Krug (although a steady, top-four replacement might need to be acquired, rather than solved by an in-house replacement).
Rolling out a top-pairing duo featuring a pair of puck-moving dynamos like McAvoy and Grzelcyk would be considered heresy in NHL circles even a few years ago, but when it comes to generating more consistent offense — especially at 5v5 play — while still being responsible under heavy minutes, the Bruins have an intriguing option on their hands if they reunite these Terriers for the long haul in 2020-21.
"Obviously I would love to welcome more offense into my game," Grzelcyk said. "I think I have more to give there for sure. ... It's something that I can work on and something that I want to apply going forward, so I have that kind of ingrained in me, especially you know the way the last series went, I think Tampa did really good job of getting pucks through from the blue line and getting their defense involved, so it's something that I can certainly learn from. I think our defense in general would generate more, even just putting pucks in better areas so that our forwards can have more space and time to operate. I think as a D corps in general those are things that we can work on."
Stats via Natural Stat Trick.
