The Boston Bruins had a very interesting 2021–22 season. The team was one of the top franchises in the entire league, although they struggled at times. Boston lacked secondary scoring and strong defensive plays at times during the season. Here are five Bruins players looking for a better 2022–23 season:
Trent Frederic
Frederic was notoriously bad last season. The St. Louis native seemed to lose trust in former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, which led to his benching.
The winger only played 60 games last year, and chipped in with a solid eight goals and ten assists. Although, on the defensive side, Frederic played very poorly. The Bruins players racked up 57 penalty minutes, many of which were very poor decisions.
The Bruins often found themselves short-handed when Frederic was on the ice. Frederic is known as an agitator who likes to play the body. But at times, the forward can be overly aggressive, leading to poor decisions and penalties. Due to this, Frederic often found himself in the press box or bench.
Frederic is a key part of the Bruins' roster. He is a player that can spark energy and stick up for teammates. He will look to have a better 2022–23 season.
Mike Reilly
Reilly was a player that struggled throughout the 2021-22 season and was ultimately scratched for the latter part of the season.
The Bruins' d-man is known as an offensive, puck-moving defenseman. Reilly lacked on the offensive side, finding himself replaced on the power play. Reilly's points were down from the previous season, with just 17 points in 70 games. Over the course of the season, Reilly made questionable turnovers, furthermore leading to opponents' chances.
Reilly's defense isn't necessarily a strong point in his game either. The d-man lacked physicality and struggled within his own zone. Over the course of the season, Reilly went from being part of the top-4 to finding himself benched after the acquisition of Hampus Lindholm.
Due to the injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, Reilly will have every opportunity to find himself back in the lineup.
Craig Smith
Smith struggled throughout the course of the season and, like many other players on this list, was dropped from the depth charts. The American forward started the season off on the second line, but was later dropped to the third line.
The Bruins' forwards lacked overall consistency and often turnover the puck. Smith had a decent point total with 36 points in 74 games, but was described as a streaky player who can get hot or really cold.
Smith was also pretty much invisible during the postseason, putting up zero points in seven playoff games. He will likely start the season on the third-line and hope to produce a bounce-back season.
Nick Foligno
Foligno isn't a surprise to be on this list. The forward was notoriously bad last season. The winger played on Boston's fourth line for the majority of the season, even though he has a cap hit of $3,800,000.
Foligno was pretty much useless on and off the puck, as he rarely scored and was never used on a defensive unit. Foligno was only able to tally two goals and 11 assists in 64 games. But what caught more Bruins fans' eyes was that Foligno was a-13 and he averaged just over 12 minutes a night!
The Bruins are hoping that Foligno will put up better offensive production numbers this season.
Matt Grzelcyk
Grzelcyk wasn't bad throughout the regular season, but his playoff performance proved otherwise. Grzelcyk is a small, offensive player whose game revolves around puck movement.
The Bruins' d-man saw a reduced role throughout the season after the acquisition of Hampus Lindholm. For the first half of the season, Grzelcyk was paired with Charlie McAvoy, but then moved to play with Brandon Carlo.
Matt Grzelcyk in 2022
— Shop BOS Hockey (@ShopBOSHockey) August 30, 2022
Key stats: 73 GP, 4G, 20A, 24PTS
Other stats: 18:44 ATOI, 55.9% CF (5v5), 58.3% oZS (5v5)
Reader rating: 5.7
Writer rating: 6.3
When you think about it, it’s been a tough couple of years injury-wise for Matt Grzelcyk.https://t.co/sisyKNf1Vz
During the regular season, Grzelcyk put up four goals and 20 assists in 73 games. Although in the playoffs, Grzelcyk's play found himself only playing five games after being a regular in the Bruins' lineup.
Grzelcyk lacked a strong defensive game and often turned over the puck. It is also worth noting that Grzelcyk was playing through an injury, although he will look to be better this season.
The 2021–22 season for the Boston Bruins was quite fascinating. Despite occasional difficulties, the team will look for a better upcoming season.