You can attribute the Boston Bruins’ addition of Jarred Tinordi to any number of things, and we might not know the precise reason until the next time Don Sweeney speaks.
The Bruins on Saturday claimed the veteran defenseman off waivers from the Nashville Predators.
Before getting into any of his actual hockey ability, the first thing you’ll notice about Tinordi is his size. He’s massive. The 29-year-old is listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, and it’s clear that his build is an important part of a game. Kevan Miller is a huge guy and even he is dwarfed by a guy like Tinordi.
He was used in 5-on-5 situations and the penalty kill with Nashville, but spent much of this season in and out of the lineup. He’s been a pretty limited offensive player at the NHL level, having been held pointless in seven games this season while posting one goal and 10 assists across 88 career NHL games.
Tinordi is a fairly seasoned fighter, with some of his fisticuff experience coming against, among others, Washington Capitals enforcer Tom Wilson.
When the Bruins are at full strength, Tinordi all but certainly is one of the spare defensemen. Perhaps he could get in against heavier teams and be used as a matchup-based/situational skater, but he’s likely an injury insurance and “different look” kind of player.
The Bruins are learning right now that there’s no such thing as too much depth on defense. The only defensemen on two-way contracts right now that haven’t been called up yet are Jack Ahcan, Victor Berglund (who is still playing overseas) and Nick Wolff, none of whom should be playing in the NHL this season. One more injury to the Bruins defense and they would’ve been in a really tough spot.
For that reason, Tinordi is a fine enough insurance policy for where the Bruins are at right now.
