They survived the loss of top playmaker Marc Savard to a concussion late in the season to lock up a playoff spot. They overcame a short-handed defense with Dennis Seidenberg, Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference all missing long stretches of the season and advanced past the Sabres in the opening round of the playoffs without Seidenberg and Stuart. They even survived without Milan Lucic’s physical presence and Marco Sturm’s streaky scoring.
But the loss of David Krejci was the one absence Boston couldn’t withstand. And even with Savard healthy again and top prospect Tyler Seguin added to bolster Boston’s already impressive options at center, keeping Krejci in the lineup will again be a key for the Bruins this season.
The Bruins got a glimpse at life without the talented young center when he suffered a dislocated wrist in Game 3 of the Philadelphia series this spring, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Krejci was injured on a brutal open-ice hit by Mike Richards while setting up linemate Miroslav Satan for what proved the game-winning goal. That gave the Bruins a commanding 3-0 series lead, but Krejci was lost for the rest of the postseason.
Satan, who had nine points in the previous five games skating with Krejci, didn’t collect another point in the playoffs. The Bruins didn’t win another game either, as the Krejci-less club dropped four straight to the Flyers in an epic collapse.
“I will tell you what, when I saw Krech go down, when I saw Richards take him down, I was worried,” admitted Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli after the series.
The Bruins scored 28 goals in nine playoff games with him in the lineup, and just eight goals in the four games without him, including just four in the final three games.
Even with elite playmaker Savard and all-around standout Patrice Bergeron sharing top billing at the center position, Krejci often appears to be the motor that drives Boston’s success.
His breakthrough 73-point season in 2008-09 helped fuel the club’s run to the top spot in the East. Last year, his struggles early on –trying to shake off the effects of an offseson hip surgery– mirrored the team’s slow start. And when Krejci was finally firing on all cylinders again with 21 points in 20 games after the Olympic break, the Bruins also made their late push to lock up a playoff spot.
“He has such a great head for the game,” said longtime linemate Blake Wheeler, explaining Krejci’s impact in an interview last year. “He’s such a calming presence in the middle of the ice. When he gets the puck, he’s not going to force a decision. He’s not going to turn it over. He makes creative decisions with the puck and you when you give him the puck he’s going to try to give it back to you in a better spot and give you an opportunity to score.”
Krejci prides himself on making the players around him better with his playmaking skills.
“If I’m good at something, I want to be the best at it,” said Krejci. “I try to work at it all the time. That’s my game, you know, to create some offense.”
Krejci had a hard time doing that early last season. After missing camp recovering from his hip surgery, Krejci returned ahead of schedule for the season opener, but managed just five points in his first 17 games as he struggled to get his timing and conditioning back.
“I thought I was ready,” said Krejci while in town last month during the club’s Development Camp. “Obviously, I couldn’t skate 100 percent, but I was ready to play, so that’s why I played. Maybe I didn’t produce [as] much as people expected, but I love hockey, and I wanted to be out there.”
The Bruins will have to hope that Krejci doesn’t rush his return from his wrist injury this year, but his recovery is proceeding on schedule and he should be cleared to return for the start of camp. Having a full camp should prevent a recurrence of last season’s slow start, and Krejci expects a strong full season of production this time around.
“I need to start the way I finished last year,” Krejci told the Boston Globe in late July. “It’s not easy. I believe if I’ve done it two years ago all season, and if I’ve done it last year for the second half, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t start the same way. I’m looking forward to this year because we have a really good team and we can accomplish big things.”
The Bruins expect big things from Krejci this year. He overcame his slow start last year to finish tied with Bergeron for the team scoring lead with 52 points. That was still a far cry from his 2008-09 production, when he put up 22-51-73 totals and led the NHL with a plus-37.
Krejci, 24, is just starting to approach his prime and if healthy could exceed even those lofty totals this year. If he continues his development, it could be Krejci that succeeds Savard as Boston’s No. 1 center long before Seguin is ready to assume that role.
NESN.com will answer one Bruins question every day in August.
Wednesday, Aug. 11: Can Tim Thomas rebound from last year’s disappointing season, hip surgery and ongoing trade rumors?
Friday, Aug. 13: With Dennis Wideman gone, does the defense have enough puck-moving ability and skill to contribute to the offense?
