Grading the 2021 Bruins: Focusing on defense, goaltending & more

After handing out grades for the 2021 Bruins forward corps (featuring plenty of good … and some not-so-good scores), let’s cap off our annual season-ending review by focusing on the B’s regulars on the blue line, in between the pipes and other areas of this Original Six franchise.

DEFENSEMEN

Charlie McAvoy: A+

I shudder to think of what the state of this Bruins defense would be if it didn’t have Charlie McAvoy leading the charge — especially during a 2021 campaign where the 23-year-old skater continued to establish himself as one of the next great franchise defensemen in the league. Finished fifth overall in the Norris Trophy voting, and the case could be made that he warranted a higher finish. Finishing in the 100th percentile of NHL defensemen in WAR (calculated by even-strength offense, even-strength defense, special-teams play, penalty impact and finishing ability), McAvoy can do it all as a minutes-eating, shutdown presence that pushes the puck in transition, generates offense from the blue line and could be in line for a higher point production if handed more reps on the top power-play unit. McAvoy is an elite blueliner — and has yet to hit his ceiling. 

Matt Grzelcyk: B+

In the same vein as the recent discourse surrounding Taylor Hall, I think it’s important to not let the a final sample size (a truly dreadful Game 6 against the Islanders) cloud what was overall a strong season for the Charlestown native. While you could make the case that Grzelcyk might be best suited as a second-pairing option on a loaded D corps, it’s tough to argue with the production that a duo of Grzelcyk-McAvoy put together when out on the ice — outshooting opponents, 235-109, and outscoring them, 20-7, in 339:43 of 5v5 ice time. And even when paired in more of a shutdown role with Brandon Carlo (44.26 offensive zone faceoff percentage), a Grzelcyk-Carlo duo still generated a 57.30% shot share. His role could be a bit different next season depending on what personnel Boston brings in on the blue line, but Grzelcyk should still be viewed as a key cog on this B’s D corps. 

Kevan Miller: B

It should be an accomplishment in and of itself that Miller managed to get back onto the ice after all the punishment his knee has taken over the last few seasons — but Miller was far from just a feel-good story when he was out patrolling the blue line. Even though the underlying metrics were not always that kind to the veteran, Miller’s size, snarl and leadership were all welcomed on a D corps that was lacking in all three areas following the departures of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. His presence was especially missed during Boston’s second-round exit against the Isles. 

Mike Reilly: B

Reilly is likely better served as a third-pairing playmaker on a stout D corps — as opposed to the top-four role that he was thrust into after arriving via trade from Ottawa — but the 27-year-old blueliner was a welcome addition at the time for a Bruins defense in desperate need of a O-zone spark and a skater capable of uncorking shots from the point. Still has some warts in his game when it comes to his D-zone play and struggles against physical opponents, but should be in line for a nice pay day after ranking third among all NHL defensemen in even-strength assists last season.

Connor Clifton: B

Reaping the benefits of “Cliffy Hockey” is often a precipitous balancing act of encouraging the physical blueliner to be assertive with his play without being too reckless. But after opening the year primarily as a depth piece, Clifton regularly flashed some of the potential that made him one of Boston’s top surprises during their Cup run in 2019. Unfortunately for Boston, Clifton’s rising stock and projection as a bombastic third-pairing regular could prompt the Kraken to scoop him up in the upcoming expansion draft. 

Brandon Carlo: B-

When healthy, Carlo is as solid as they come in his role as an ace penalty killer and a stay-at-home, shutdown presence in a top-four spot — but injuries (jumpstarted by a cheap shot from Tom Wilson) completely railroaded his fifth full season with Boston. Excluding the injuries, it wasn’t the cleanest season from Carlo when it came to his high standards as a D-zone equalizer, but all it takes is a look at the film from Games 4, 5 & 6 against the Islanders to spot just how crucial Carlo is to this B’s D corps. 

Steven Kampfer: B- 

An underrated asset on the bench that more than held his own when called upon, Kampfer’s season-ending hand surgery came at a brutal time leading into the playoffs — with the veteran posting five points and averaging 16:42 of ice time per game over 20 outings with Boston this past season. After two stints in Boston, Kampfer appears to be heading overseas after reportedly signing a contract with AK Bars Kazan in the KHL for the 2021-22 season.

Jarred Tinordi: B-

An underrated pickup off of the waiver wire back in March, Tinordi did what was asked of him in a depth role — especially when it came to adding some thump to the B’s third D pairing. It’s either a statement of Tinordi’s solid play or an indictment on Boston’s prospect pipeline that the veteran served as the next man up on a decimated Boston blue line during the postseason ahead of players like Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril. Could see Boston inking him to another deal as a depth option moving forward.

Jeremy Lauzon: C+

He likely isn’t suited for a top-four role that he was handed to open the season next to McAvoy, but Lauzon still has potential to be a rugged, everyday defenseman that can lift up a PK unit and log tough minutes further down on the depth chart. Some costly miscues plagued him during the postseason, but the 24-year-old skater was banged up for most of the second half of the year after breaking his hand early in Boston’s matchup against the Flyers at Lake Tahoe. Could also be a target of the Kraken later this month. 

Jakub Zboril: C-

After showing some promise in the early going while slotted next to Miller, Zboril struggled to consistently remain in the lineup — with his omission from playoff reps a bit telling when it comes to Boston’s confidence in the young skater. Was sheltered heavily last season with plenty of O-zone reps. Unclear where exactly he fits in Boston’s plans moving forward, especially if the B’s beef up their blue line via free agency or trades.

Urho Vaakanainen: C-

After seeing his stock soar for a few seasons as Boston’s top prospect and future top-four fixture, Vaakanainen has been mired in no-man’s land as of late — with the Finnish defenseman unable to make a legitimate push for an NHL roster spot out of camp and during various stages of the 2021 season. Much like Zboril, Vaakanainen’s future in Boston could get a bit dicey if the B’s add more bodies to their D corps in the coming months. 

INCOMPLETE

John Moore

GOALTENDERS

Jeremy Swayman: A+

Given both the expectations placed on the young goalie entering his first pro season — coupled with the perilous spot he was thrust into following injuries/COVID issues with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak — it’s hard not to grant Swayman anything but an A+. A technically sound netminder that tracked pucks well and rarely seemed rattled in net, Swayman helped keep Boston afloat during the dog days of the winter when their goalie corps was decimated, posting a .945 save percentage over 10 games and an .895 save percentage on high-danger shots, tops among the 66 goalies this season with at least 600 minutes of ice time this season. Fans should try to temper unrealistic and lofty expectations placed on Swayman next year in what could be his first legit season of NHL reps, but there’s no denying that the Alaska native has the makings of a future No. 1 starter in net. 

Tuukka Rask: B

 It was a trying season for Rask, who played the entire season with a torn hip labrum. And while he wasn’t as sharp as he was in 2019-20 when he was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, Rask was still playing at a high level for most of the year, especially when factoring in his health and a younger defense playing in front of him. His game took a step down against the Isles after a dominant first round against the Caps, but Rask alone was far from the primary reason the B's fell short in the second round. Boston has a very, very tricky situation on its hands next season when it comes to sorting out its goalie corps and Rask's future.

Dan Vladar: B-

Some good and bad this season from Vladar — who could be looking at an expanded role up in the NHL ranks next season given the uncertain status of Rask and the fact he’s no longer waivers-exempt if he has to report to Providence in 2021-22. After posting a 34-save masterpiece in his season debut against Pittsburgh on March 16, Vladar was left out to dry for the second straight season in his final game of the year — giving up eight goals in a blowout at the hands of the Capitals on April 11. 

Jaroslav Halak: C

It was a tough ending for Halak in what will likely be his final season in Boston, with the veteran losing his spot as the B’s primary backup after Swayman leapfrogged him on the depth chart while he was stuck in COVID protocols. But even looking past that poor luck, Halak’s individual game still slipped from the standard he set over his first two years in Boston — with his save percentage dipping to .905 on the year. 

THE HIGHER-UPS:

Bruce Cassidy: C+

Punching their ticket back to the postseason was far from an easy feat this season in a competitive East Division — especially given the multitude of injuries that Boston trudged through along the way — but it was still far from a smooth ride for Cassidy at the helm in 2021. Given what we now know about Rask's season-long injury, there will still be plenty of fans steamed about the decision not to give Jeremy Swayman some reps during the postseason (I'll stand stand firm with my take that Swayman would have been fed to the wolves with that defense in front of him). But other season-long issues continued to linger throughout this season without much in terms of a solution, especially when it came to sparking that bottom-six unit and giving youngsters an extended look out on the ice. Perhaps that's more of an indictment on the level talent that Cassidy had to work with this past season. 

Don Sweeney: C

If we’re viewing Sweeney’s showing this season within the vacuum of his moves at the deadline, you’d be foolhardy not to hand him a high mark. Other moves such as signing Craig Smith to a bargain deal give Boston a much-needed lift in the middle-six unit, but Boston’s Achilles' heel this season that undid another promising Cup run was a young, banged-up defense that simply couldn't hold up against a physical Islanders crew. And while it was gutsy to move on from both Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug, the decision to move forward by looking at internal candidates fell far short of expectations — with both Vaakanainen and Zboril getting leapfrogged on the depth chart by Jarred Tinordi during the postseason and Lauzon struggling out on the ice. Couple in the lingering effects of a 2015 Draft that failed to add legitimate scoring depth to the fantastic core present on this roster, and the B's have a LOT of work to do this offseason. 

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