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Scratch and Sit: Who sits on defense when Krug returns?

With the new season underway for the Boston Bruins, questions remain on the team’s offense, particularly regarding the bottom six centers and the second line wing slot. On defense, much of the Bruins top six remains the same from a season ago with the exception of Adam McQuaid, who was shipped out to New York nearly a month ago. But, with the signing of John Moore this offseason to a five-year, $13.75 million contract, more questions exist about the Bruins defensive core than at first glance. The biggest: who will be the healthy scratch for Boston?

Naturally with Torey Krug on the shelf for a few more weeks, this question won’t come into play until the second pair blue liner is fully healthy and back in the fold. But once he is, who will go upstairs on game day? Likely, it will be one of the current third pairing – Kevan Miller and Matt Grzelcyk.

The first reaction would be Miller as the likely candidate to sit upstairs on game day. The 30-year old defenseman played in 68 games last year, but that high volume would likely have been lower had it not been for injuries to McQuaid, Carlo, Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy. With Moore’s addition and the potential full health of the young blue liners, Miller will likely find himself back in his role of an in-and-out bottom-pair defenseman.

However, that role may not be as definitive as it seems at first glance. With McQuaid suiting up for the Rangers this season, that leaves Boston without one of its most physical players on defense. Miller is of a similar mold as McQuaid, racking up 70 PIMs a season ago to McQuaid’s 62 – though McQuaid did so in 30 fewer games. Both players were top two on the Bruins in fights last year (six for McQuaid, four for Miller); and while the act is being slowly phased out of hockey, Boston still sees a value in it with their 39 bouts last season – the fourth most in the NHL.

So if Miller’s stock bumps up with McQuaid’s departure, what does that mean for defensemen like Grzelcyk and Krug?

Grzelcyk was a bottom pair defenseman that showed a lot of promise in his rookie season in 2017-2018. The Boston University product appeared in 61 games, and averaged a respectable 16:44 in time-on-ice each contest – that’s more than fellow impact-rookies Jake DeBrusk (14:22) and Danton Heinen (15:01), and roughly a full minute more than McQuaid (15:42). So while the 5-foot-9 Grzelcyk doesn’t have the roughness to his game that Miller brings, Bruce Cassidy clearly trusts the puck-moving blue liner. Would he really keep Grzelcyk out of the lineup more often when additional ice time would help the 24-year old develop?

In addition to the lack of size on Grzelcyk, the fact remains that he and Krug are similar players. Both are undersized, quick-footed, puck movers on the back end. While Krug obviously has more of an offensive touch (14-26—40 in 79 games his rookie season compared to Grzelcyk’s 3-12—15 in 61), Grzelcyk still has a high upside going into his second year in the league. This could make either of the two D-men potential trade options as the season wears on.

It’s not breaking news that Boston is in need of some offensive depth – particularly if some of the younger guys take a step back from a year ago, or if a signing like Chris Wagner doesn’t work out. A deadline deal with a young, fast defenseman as the centerpiece from the Bruins would be an enticing offer.

Krug is the more proven commodity with five full NHL seasons and 235 points under his belt. At 27, his value is likely at an all-time high with his best scoring year coming a season ago (14-45—59), and he’s still under contract through the end of next season at a reasonable rate of $5.5 million per year. But would the Bruins really be willing to part with a homegrown defensive product that is coming off his best year offensively, and who can be a good role model for McAvoy and Carlo who, like Krug, are also offensively talented?

If not, would they be willing to move a young guy like Grzelcyk, who they have under team control for the next two seasons before he becomes a restricted free agent? Likely yes, for the right price. Would he be sufficient enough to return someone to fill a top nine spot on offense? While the team control and the cap hit of $1.4 million is enticing, his numbers would have to be more Krug-like as the deadline approaches if Boston wants to move Grzelcyk and not dip too heavily into their crop of young talent in Providence.

There’s a lot of depth on the Boston blue line, and with Carlo returning from his second consecutive season-ending injury, and a 41-year old Zdeno Chara returning for his 21st season, they may want to hold on to everyone in case the injury bug flares up, which it already has with Krug. Whatever the Bruins choose to do with their defensemen, they should be poised for some great play from their blue line – which will be an absolute necessity in a division that features the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and now John Tavares.

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