Grading the 2021 Bruins: Plenty of good (and some bad) in forward group

With the 2021 NHL season coming to an end at some point this week, we’re ready to finally turn the page and start looking ahead to what will be a very busy couple of weeks in July and August. But before we officially delve deeper into a high-stakes offseason for the B’s — let’s put a stamp on the past year by handing out our annual grades for the Bruins. 

First up, the forwards:

Brad Marchand: A+

Right up there with Charlie McAvoy as the Bruins’ MVP this past season, with the 33-year-old winger finishing third in league scoring with 69 points over 53 games, including 12 points in 11 playoff outings. One of the strongest arguments for keeping this Cup contention window open for a few more years is that Boston still employs the best left wing in the game in No. 63. Be it even-strength, power play or PK (four shorthanded goals), Marchand has developed into an absolute monster.

Patrice Bergeron: A

Ho hum, another excellent year from Boston’s top center — who (much to the B’s good fortune) has yet to see his stellar two-way play decline at age 35. All of the hallmarks of a trademark Bergeron campaign were showcased once more — be it strong point production (48 points in 54 games), special-teams mastery, proficiency at the faceoff dot (league-leading 62.2 percent) and D-zone play. It’s a shame that voter fatigue might have played into the Selke Trophy selection when it came to Bergeron’s candidacy, because he was certainly my pick in a very, very good field. 

Taylor Hall: A

As underwhelming as Hall was in that second-round series against the Isles, don’t let that six-game sample poison the well when it comes to assessing just how fantastic the winger was for this B’s team during those previous six weeks. Aside from the impressive point production and sparking his new second-line teammates in David Krejci and Craig Smith, Hall’s transition game and two-way play was evident night in and night out — with Boston outsourcing opponents, 15-1, during Hall’s 200 minutes of 5v5 ice time during the regular season. Inking Hall to an extension has to be a priority for this club if it wants to keep this contention window open for another year or two. 

David Pastrnak: A-

After a sterling start in which he lit the lamp five times and posted eight points in his first four games, Pastrnak hit a wall at times during the regular season — headlined by a stretch to close out the regular season where he scored just six goals (zero on the power play) over 27 games. Still, after undergoing major hip surgery during the offseason and missing the first few weeks of action, it was to be expected for Boston’s top sniper to hit a few bumps in the road. And it’s a testament to Pastrnak’s caliber that an “off” year would have still had him on pace to bury close to 40 goals over a full 82-game season. With a full offseason to recover, don’t be surprised to once again see Pastrnak aim for that lofty 50-goal mark in 2021-22.

Craig Smith: B+

One of the best bargains of the 2020 offseason, Smith exceeded the expectations that were initially placed on him as a shot-first, 200-foot winger that was expected to help drive play on a third line next to Charlie Coyle. Instead, the veteran found himself bumped up to a top-six spot with Krejci and Hall and didn’t miss a beat — putting himself on pace for a 20-goal, 50-point campaign over the course of a full season. Smith is a high-energy, middle-six winger that should continue to thrive in whatever role is handed to him in 2021-22. 

David Krejci:  B+

It was a tale of two seasons at times for the veteran pivot, who labored with an admittedly underwhelming cast of wingers (where have we seen this before?) to open the season. But following Hall’s arrival and Smith’s promotion as a top-six regular, Krejci returned to form as an offensive conduit — posting 15 points in his final 16 regular-season games, as well as nine points in 11 playoff games. Re-signing Krejci should be a priority for Boston this offseason, not only because there are few contingency plans that offer better value, but because it’d be far from surprising if the 35-year-old center put together another 65-70 point campaign in 2021-22 with a full season next to Hall and Smith.

Nick Ritchie: B- 

Much like Krejci, you could split up Ritchie’s 2021 campaign into two different stretches. Granted, after a dreadful showing with Boston up in the Toronto bubble, Ritchie did rebound by taking home the 7th Player Award — setting a new career high with 15 goals over 56 games. But after opening the season with 15 points over his first 21 games, Ritchie posted just seven points (including four goals) over his next 28 outings — failing to provide much of an impact after getting taken off of the top power-play unit and a top-six role. Struggled to generate much of an impact in the postseason, especially in terms of serving as a physical retort against New York.

Curtis Lazar: B- 

On a fourth line that could look drastically different next season, Lazar figures to be the one fixture — whether that be at the pivot position or slotted over to the wing. He may not be flashy, but Lazar is a versatile, hard-working skater that should become a key cog on the PK unit. A nice pick-up as more of a complementary piece in the Taylor Hall deal.

Trent Frederic: C+ 

Frederic served as a breath of fresh air on Boston’s fourth line to open the 2021 season, getting under the skin of P.K. Subban and other opponents while also dropping the gloves with Tom Wilson. And while Frederic could carve out a role up in the NHL ranks as a physical agitator, the Bruins will probably want a bit more from Frederic in terms of his two-way ability. As more teams started to get a read on Frederic, it was easier for opponents to tune out his chirps and not engage. Throwing his weight around on the forecheck and burying chances in Grade-A ice sure seems like another effective avenue when it comes to getting noticed out on the ice. 

Karson Kuhlman: C

His true role may be that as a speedy, forechecking presence on the fourth line, but Kuhlman is almost always as advertised when pressed into the lineup when it comes to a dogged pursuit of the puck. However, with his offensive ceiling rather limited (three goals, eight points over his last two seasons), it remains to be seen if Kuhlman can consistently carve out a regular spot on Boston’s checking unit, but he should be in the conversation once camp opens.

Anton Blidh: C-

Much like Kuhlman, what you see is what you get with Blidh – with the Swede playing a north-south, physical, checking game. Still, with a limited offensive ceiling (two goals, three points in 38 career NHL games) and his status as an up-and-coming prospect all but revoked (he turned 26 back in March), it remains to be seen where Blidh fits into this lineup as anything but a call-up option from Providence.  

Zach Senyshyn: C-

After a promising stint as a potential third-line winger was cut short last season due to injury, Senyshyn was poised to benefit from a clean slate in 2021 — with the 24-year-old winger impressing in limited reps down in Providence (13 points in 18 games) before earning another shot up in the NHL ranks. But after an encouraging start on March 11 against the Rangers, Senyshyn missed another two weeks due to a lower-body injury, and then failed to generate much of anything upon returning to the lineup. Luck certainly hasn’t been on the side of Senyshyn, who is running out of time to carve out a legitimate role on an NHL roster.

Jack Studnicka: C-

Expectations were very high for Studnicka entering the 2021 season, with the youngster earning reps in the Toronto bubble and showing promise as a potential middle-six replacement at center in 2021-22 if all went well in his first full season of pro hockey. Well, it didn’t — as Studnicka was limited to just one goal and three points over 20 games. The skill is certainly there with the 22-year-old forward, but he’s going to have to get considerably stronger if he plans on holding his own against the big boys up in the NHL. Granted, Studnicka should benefit from more minutes and reps at his natural position at center — but with Boston in a win-now window and with (potentially) Krejci and Coyle back in the fold, where exactly does he fit in the B’s plans?

Charlie Coyle: D+

He wasn’t helped out by the supporting talent around him on the third line, but Coyle is the guy that makes that bottom-six unit tick when he’s driving play from the pivot position — and those trademark assertive shifts from the Weymouth native were unfortunately few and far between in 2021. Whether it be in the O-zone (0 goals in 28-game stretch) or in Boston’s own end (team-high 12 goals against in 11 playoff games), Coyle just didn’t have it for extended stretches last season. You could chalk up some of Coyle’s lost explosiveness to a nagging injury that required offseason surgery — with the odds favoring a bounce-back season from Coyle in 2021-22. The Bruins will likely echo such hopeful sentiment, considering that Coyle is still on the books for five more seasons at a $5.25 million annual cap hit.  

Sean Kuraly: D

If Coyle is the straw that stirs the drink on the third line, Kuraly has served a similar role as the man in the middle of a fourth line that carries out a crucial (and oftentimes unenviable) role in Bruce Cassidy’s system. But after years serving as one of Cassidy’s most trusted bottom-six stalwarts, Kuraly’s game bottomed out in 2021 — with the forward knocked out of his usual spot at center and shifted over to the wing. With Kuraly set to hit the open market as a UFA, it might be time for the Bruins to move on. An unfortunate conclusion to a player in Boston who was an underrated key contributor to quite a few great B’s rosters.

Chris Wagner: D

It was a trying season for Wagner, who was scratched for 10 games at various stops through the 2021 season. Like many other players across the league, Wagner should benefit from a return to normalcy moving forward, but his starting spot in the lineup is far from a guarantee in what should be a crowded field of checking-line candidates entering training camp.  

Jake DeBrusk: D-

I’ll give DeBrusk some leeway in that everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the young winger in 2021 — he dealt with an injury in the early going, struggled throughout the season with COVID-related restrictions and then caught COVID himself right as he appeared to be turning a corner. Add in plenty of games spent on his weak side at RW, and it was a downright disastrous season for DeBrusk. And while plenty didn’t work in his favor, DeBrusk himself needed to be far, far better in various opportunities granted to him — with his lackluster production (five goals in 41 games) hampering a struggling third line that failed to get off the ground for most of the 2021 campaign. It remains to be seen what the future holds for DeBrusk, who could benefit from a change of scenery, but such a conclusion could see the B’s part ways with a winger at his lowest value — and a potential rebound on the horizon.

INCOMPLETE:

Greg McKegg
Ondrej Kase
Oskar Steen

Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick, HockeyViz and JFreshHockey.