Eight Underrated Bruins In Recent History Who Made Their Mark

The Boston Bruins have had plenty of star power in their recent history. But the Bruins also had several players who did their job at a high level away from the spotlight.

Those type of players are ingrained in the fabric of the Bruins as they helped formed Boston’s culture while also contributing to the team’s winning success without much recognition.

Looking back at the last 35 years, here are eight underrated Bruins who stood out and left their mark on the franchise.

Andy Moog (1987-1993)
Moog won’t be the first goaltender that comes to mind when thinking about the Bruins. The diminutive 5-foot-8, 177-pound goalie turned in an impressive six-year run with the Black and Gold that included two trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Moog notched 37 wins in his final season with the Bruins — the fourth-most in a single campaign in Bruins’ history — and is tied for seventh in the franchise’s history with Gilles Gilbert for most wins in a career, including the playoffs. He also has the third-most wins in the playoffs in franchise history.

Michael Ryder (2008-2011)
Ryder is most known for his incredible glove save against the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the 2011 playoffs, but he provided more than just that moment during his three-year stint with the Bruins. He recorded 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in his first season with Boston and followed it up with back-to-back 18-goal campaigns while helping the franchise win a Stanley Cup.

Brian Rolston (1999-2004; 2012)
The No. 11 overall pick in the 1991 NHL Draft had his career get off to a rocky start with the New Jersey Devils but he found his stride as a consistent offensive option for the Bruins. Rolston had three consecutive seasons where he had at least 58 points, highlighted by a 31-goal, 31-assist campaign during the 2001-02 season.

Rolston finished his career with the Bruins in 2012 after the Bruins acquired him from the New York Islanders.

Chris Kelly (2010-2016)
Kelly brought a workman-like effort as a bottom-six forward to the Bruins, which was an integral part of their success. He played a key role in their run to a Stanley Cup in 2011, too, accumulating five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 25 games.

Kelly’s game was never flashy, but he continually got the job done, especially as a part of Boston’s penalty kill. Kelly’s best offensive season came in 2011-12 when he racked up 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games. Kelly has continued his underrated role with the Bruins, serving as an assistant coach for Boston for the last three seasons and working as a player development coordinator for the organization prior to that.

David Krejci (2006-2021; 2022-2023)
It might be strange to see a player as decorated as Krejci on this list, but he was never the face of the franchise. His standout play a lot of the time got lost in the shadows of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but he quietly put together an illustrious career.

Krejci played over 1,000 games in 16 seasons with the Bruins, posting 231 goals and 555 assists for 786 career points. Krejci finished his career fifth all-time in Bruins history in assists and ninth in points.

His spectacular postseason when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup shouldn’t be forgotten about, either. Krejci poured in 12 goals and 11 assists in 25 games.

Dennis Seidenberg (2010-2016)
The Bruins trading Craig Weller, Byron Bitz and a second-round pick for Seidenberg at the 2010 NHL trade deadline paid off in a big way. He was a workhorse for the Bruins who never garnered big headlines for his stout defensive play. Seidenberg logged massive minutes playing next to Chara and had a positive plus-minus rating in his first five seasons with Boston.

Like Krejci, Seidenberg’s 2011 playoff run was memorable. He earned 27:37 of ice time per game and his shutdown play in the defensive zone helped the Bruins secure the Cup.

Andrew Ference (2007-2013)
Acquiring Ference — the Bruins got him from the Calgary Flames for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart and a fourth-round pick — was another trade that ended up working out well for the Bruins. The gritty defenseman brought toughness and leadership on and off the ice while also never being afraid to do the less-heralded dirty work.

It’s not a surprise that one of Ference’s best seasons with the Bruins came in the year that they won the Stanley Cup. Ference turned in a stellar effort during that postseason run, too, contributing four goals, which was more than he had in the regular season, and six assists for 10 points in 25 games.

P.J. Axelsson (1997-2009)
Axelsson’s statistics don’t jump off the page — the most points he had in a season was 36 in 2002-03 — but he made an impact with his dogged effort, especially on the penalty kill. He scored a pair of shorthanded goals in five of six seasons at one point, proving to be a valuable addition for the Bruins.

Axelsson was a homegrown talent for the Bruins, who selected the forward in the seventh round of the 1995 draft. He went on to play 11 seasons in the Black and Gold. That’s got to count for something, too.