Grading the 2023 Bruins (Part 2) - Taking a look at the blue-liners

Graduation season is continuing across New England.

With mid-May comes soon-to-be graduates at local high schools, colleges and universities eagerly awaiting their final marks and calculating their GPAs. Usually, there are Bruins and Celtics playoff runs to latch onto as the summer awaits, the Red Sox get into the thick of Major League Baseball's slog of a schedule and the Patriots continue offseason programs. 

The Celtics crammed the night before but passed their midterm exam against the Philadelphia 76ers, but it seems that strategy isn't working out against the Miami Heat. The Bruins, however, did not graduate to the conference finals or the second round, flunking a seven-game pop quiz in the first round after passing the regular season with flying colors. 

After assessing Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in Part 1, let's see how the Bruins graded out this season, continuing with the defensemen:

Charlie McAvoy – Regular Season: A / Playoffs: B-

The 25-year-old might have once again garnered Norris Trophy consideration had he not missed a combined 15 games with injuries. McAvoy finished the season with 52 points (7g, 45a), which would have been a 64-point (9g, 55a) pace over a full-82 game schedule. Strong on both sides of the puck once again in the regular season, when McAvoy was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Bruins were plus-28 (60-32). His pairing with Matt Grzelcyk was again a consistently driving possession for Boston. 

McAvoy started the postseason extremely well. He was a physical force on defense with 25 hits and dominating with the puck through the first four games as Boston jumped out to a 3-1 series lead. As Boston wilted the rest of the way, so did McAvoy. He landed just four more hits through the final three games of the first round. He was top among the Bruins' turnover struggles with eight, officially. Jim Montgomery mostly paired him with Dmitry Orlov, despite the easy and obvious choice in Grzlecyk, and the pair bled chances in the series. The Cats had a 40-32 scoring chance advantage (20-13, high-danger) against Orlov-McAvoy at 5-on-5. 

Brandon Carlo – Regular Season: A- / Playoffs: A-

Carlo had his best season in years. After a bit of a sluggish start, he snapped out of it to become one of Boston's top shutdown defenders. Led the way in shorthanded ice time (241:40) and his 116 blocked shots were third. He wasn't an absolute zero with the puck, either, as he had been at times in previous seasons. Carlo looked much more poised overall but in offensive situations in particular, and the second pair with him and Hampus Lindholm was arguably the Bruins' best pair on the balance of the regular season. After two straight seasons of a minus-two goal differential with Carlo on the ice at 5-on-5, Boston was plus-32 (59-27). He was third in the NHL with a plus-44 rating. 

In the postseason, Carlo was one of few Bruins to maintain the same level of play from the regular season, bouncing back from last year's minus-5 in seven games against Carolina. His defensive game remained steady, even with a compromised Lindholm to his left. Carlo picked up the offensive slack from his partner as well, displaying his renewed confidence with the puck, which was on full display when he led the rush and perfectly shot off the pad for a rebound to David Pastrnak for the go-ahead goal in Game 7. No. 25 had four assists in seven playoff contests after notching just six points in his previous 52. Would have added a goal, too, if not for a ticky-tack handpass in Game 6.

Hampus Lindholm – Regular Season: A+ / Playoffs: C-

The 2022-23 regular season was the best of Lindholm's career, bar none. Production-wise, it was his second-best, finishing with 10 goals (tying the second-most in his career) and 43 assists for 53 points. The latter two were far and away career-highs. He looked like a stud No. 1 defenseman earlier in the year with McAvoy out of the lineup and remained dominant on the second pair with Carlo. The Bruins were plus-40 (76-36) with Lindholm on the ice st 5-on-5 this season. He finished atop the league with a plus-49 rating, very much deserving of his Norris Trophy consideration.

Although his underlying metrics were still strong in the playoffs, Lindholm looked like a completely different player, and it turned out he was as he dealt with a broken foot. The eye test didn't lie, and he wasn't good in the postseason, frequently looking timid. The puck-over-glass penalty in Game 6 stands out, partly costing Boston a win. It was forgettable, all around, but assuming he's fully healthy for next season, Lindholm should be back to his normal self. The Bruins need him to be after committing a hefty contract to him. Their positive outlook to remain competitive rests on a strong defensive core.

Dmitry Orlov – Regular Season: A / Playoffs: B-

Orlov came on with as strong of a first impression as you'll find after the trade from Washington, putting up three goals and six assists in his first five games with the Black and Gold. He eventually returned to Earth with his production, but his underlying numbers were still sparkling with Boston taking 55 percent of shot attempts and shots on goal on top of over 60 percent of scoring chances at 5-on-5. The B's doubled up their opponents at 5-on-5 with an 18-9 goal differential when Orlov was on the ice.

The 31-year-old's production continued in the playoffs with eight assists in eight games, including setting up the game-tying goal in Game 7. The pairing with McAvoy never seemed to truly click, though, no matter how much Montgomery kept trotting it out. Orlov was still fairly strong at 5-on-5, but the Panthers outscored Boston 6-5 with him on the ice. He finished the series with four (official) giveaways. Brandon Montour cooked him on the opening goal in Game 7. He's going to be 32 and will want one last payday. It almost certainly will not be in Boston. 

Matt Grzelcyk – Regular Season: B / Playoffs: C+

Grzelcyk was mostly his typical self in the regular season after returning from offseason surgery. He had a heater in January that saw him land two goals and five assists in six games, bookended by some ups and downs, though. Tallied three goals for the fourth straight year, but had career-highs in assists (19) and points (22). He was again a monster at 5-on-5 with Boston outscoring teams 70-29 (plus-41) with him on the ice. He finished second in the NHL for plus-minus (plus-46), sandwiched between Lindholm and Carlo, and he might have finished first had he done more to set himself apart in the defensive rotation after the trade deadline.

In the postseason, Boston under-utilized the 29-year-old, likely due to his past playoff performances. He was part of the miscue with Ullmark in Game 5, and made questionable reads on the Game 7-winner. But when Grzelcyk was in there, his ability on the breakout helped make a difference for the struggling Bruins, who had a 59 percent share of 5-on-5 shot attempts and 55 percent of scoring chances. Even if he was sheltered, he was a better option than Derek Forbort or Connor Clifton. Grzelcyk may find himself on the move this summer. 

Derek Forbort – Regular Season: B / Playoffs: C-

Forbort continued to settle into his role as a third-pairing, penalty-kill specialist. Helped anchor the league's best penalty kill in the regular season (87.3 percent), logging the fifth-most ice time of any Bruins skater (168:07) even after missing a combined 18 games. The penalty kill struggled during his first absence (76.5 percent) but actually excelled without him the second time around (88 percent). Blocked 88 shots (28 shorthanded, the most for Boston) and added a career-high five goals. Even if the returns with the puck and in transition at 5-on-5 were marginal, the B's were still plus-4 (32-28) with Forbort on.

In the playoffs, Forbort was clearly among the weakest links on defense. Florida exposed what he lacked with the puck on his stick and in transition, and the penalty kill took a nosedive (75 percent). Boston was minus-1 (4-3) at 5-on-5 and minus-4 (8-4) in all situations with Forbort on the ice during the postseason. He may be a cap casualty this summer.

Connor Clifton – Regular Season: B / Playoffs: D

Clifton had the best season of his NHL career with 23 points (5g, 18a) in 78 games. All four are career-highs. Montgomery's system helped unlock him as a sparkplug on the backend, especially early in the year when Clifton was at his strongest, playing in an elevated role, given Boston's injury situation. Dished out 208 hits, which is also a career-high, averaging 17:51 on the third pair with Forbort. 

In the playoffs, though, Clifton was a disaster, magnified by his blowup in Game 6 that saw him cost Boston with an early penalty, a pair of giveaways that led straight to goals and being caught out of position on another goal. The B's had a plus-17 (58-41) goal differential with Clifton on during 5-on-5 in the regular season. In the playoffs, they were minus-4 (5-1) in the three games he played. He will still get a decent pay bump this offseason from his current $1 million AAV. It just won't be from the Bruins in all likelihood.

Jakub Zboril – Regular Season: C / Playoffs: N/A

Zboirl was nothing more than passable in his sporadic showings this season. Had a good training camp and preseason, earning a lineup spot with McAvoy and Grzelcyk out with injuries, but struggled with consistency as he bounced around the lineup. The 26-year-old wasn't exceptionally strong at 5-on-5 (Boston was outscored, 13-11). Looked better in his appearances down the stretch of the regular season after sitting practically all of December and January. Never found his way into the lineup in the playoffs after finishing with a goal and three assists in 22 regular season games. He factors to be in the lineup next season, especially with his manageable cap hit.