2021 Player Ratings: Jarred Tinordi was a timely addition and served his purpose well enough

Reader Rating: 5.6
SCoC Rating: 5.3

Let’s hop in the not-so-Way-Back Machine to February 2021.

The Bruins’ left side of defense was decimated, with Matt Grzelcyk missing chunks of time (including a 13-game absence with a seemingly repetitive lower-body injury) and Jeremy Lauzon shelved with post-surgery recovery after a hand fracture in the Lake Tahoe exhibition outdoor game at the end of the month.

Tack onto these top-six absences the non-participation of Steve Kampfer after being a part of training camp in the early going (and not wanting to stand John Moore whatsoever), and Jakub Zboril’s intermittent presence at practice, a distinct question mark was present in the B’s defensive depth.

Enter the waiver wire, which saw the Nashville Predators waive several people, including Jarred Tinordi. Tinordi, capable of playing respectable minutes in a platoon-style role, was a welcome addition of size, strength, and experience.

A bit of concern over the course of his career was a notable multi-year gap in NHL appearances, despite AHL consistency as a DFD in stints with Montreal, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Nashville. He was a fitting addition for, in the moment, a rapidly depleting depth corps.

Tinordi was not brought in to replace Grzelcyk’s power play prowess; you can’t get that off any team’s scrap heap. He was claimed to fill an injury gap, and with the added taxi squad flexibility afforded this past year, Boston could afford to roll him into the rotation.

In a possible 37 games, Tinordi drew in for just 13 games, not surprising when Lauzon returned after his prescribed month-long absence. Never saw a second of power play time...shocking, I know.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Though he ranked in low in pretty much any possession category at 5v5, he does stand out in one particular supporting role: his time spent on the penalty kill, playing nearly 45 minutes of PK time across those 13 games, at nearly 3 ½ minutes per game he played.

Add to that playing over 17 minutes in all situations per game played, and though not related to his direct impact on scoring, Boston earned a point in 9 of the 13 regular season games he played.

In other words, Tinordi did fine for the Bruins.

Now 29, he’s found his role on the fringe of the big leagues, and that’s fine. It might not be a long or glistening career but it is a professional career nonetheless.

Boston chose not to re-sign him, hoping to continue the youth experiment we’ve seemingly been in for a decade, and he’s now off to the New York Rangers on a two-year, $900K-per contract - a solid position on a transitioning club that needs some experience while they bridge the gap towards their up-and-comers taking over.

It’s no wonder this guy is going to join the Rangers... I’m sure he’d like another opportunity to WilsonSmash, and we know the Rangers are loading up to respond to his antics (see: Ryan Reaves).

We’ll look forward to that particular highlight, Tinner. Thanks for filling in admirably!