Adam McQuaid's Disappointing Campaign

Quick Facts:

Age: 29

2015-2016 Stats: 64 games, 1 goal, 8 assists, 89 penalty minutes, 2.4 shot percentage

Grade: D-

Let me preface this by saying that Adam McQuaid seems like a nice guy. That being said, he just wasn't a very good hockey player this season.

After being rewarded with a four year, eleven million dollar contract extension, McQuaid underperformed. Sure, he is a gritty player, exhibiting toughness and inspired physical play each night. A leader in the locker room, McQuaid's unquestioned toughness is invaluable to the team.

Plays such as the turnover are the reason why Adam McQuaid struggled all season long. His egregious turnover sealed the win for Ottawa and eliminated the Bruins from post season contention. After picking up the puck behind the net, McQuaid sensed pressure and immediately hurled the puck to the boards, failing to look for where his outlets were.

In a time in the NHL where puck moving defenseman are at a premium for their ability to stretch the defense and create plays for skilled forwards. McQuaid doesn't quite fit that bill---he lacks the quick feet to skate with fast forwards and his ability is inept for threading the puck through defensive coverages since he often opts for the quickest outlet.

McQuaid is a solid stay at home defenseman and is quite serviceable at removing opponents from in front of the net. An excellent penalty killer, McQuaid averaged 2:27 time on ice per game while shorthanded, which ranked third among Bruins' defensemen. However, McQuaid is not a threat on offense. He boasted a miserable 2.4% shooting percentage while averaging .65 shots per game. For the season, McQuaid only averaged 0:02 ATOI (average time on ice) on the power play. Although he is a defensive defenseman, McQuaid's offensive capabilities are extremely limited.

Despite McQuaid's impressive physical play, he lacks the offensive instincts to be successful in the opponent's zone and occasionally panics with the puck and rims the puck around the boards without necessarily looking to see if a teammate is there. He has a bloated contract on a cap strapped team is a minor upgrade over Kevan Miller. There is not a need for both of them (as they play the same style) in the Bruins' top six, especially when both struggled this season.