Where would the Boston Bruins be without the contributions of Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril?
ESPN's Emily Kaplan named the Boston Bruins defensemen the "pleasant surprises" of the team's 2020-21 season to date. Lauzon and Zboril, both 23, have emerged as dependable blueliners in their first season, and their steady play is among the reasons Boston sits atop the East Division after 14 games.
"The Bruins' blue line was supposed to be a bear market, but instead there's a ton of promise," Kaplan wrote. "In their first season as regulars, Jeremy Lauzon (who leads the team in penalty-kill time per game) and Jakub Zboril (solid in the third pairing) have been pleasant surprises."
Lauzon has established himself via defensive prowess, but he also has one pretty important assist to his name this season. He is about to surpass his career high in games played in a single season, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to develop and improve.
Zboril, Boston's first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, took some time to develop but now is showing why the Bruins were patient with him and ultimately signed him to a contract extension in October. Should he join Lauzon in continuing his progression, other NHL observers will join Kaplan in recognizing them as important pieces on a very good team's roster.
