Checking In On The Bruins 2018 Free Agent Departures
Every season teams change who’s on their roster. It’s part of sports. Last offseason, the Boston Bruins parted with many free agents and even traded a few pieces away. So far the replacements for the guys lost have been a mixed bag. John Moore has shown signs of good play on the Bruins blue line. Joakim Nordstrom and Chris Wagner have had their good and bad games. And Jaroslav Halak has been solid in the crease for the club. Now let’s take a look at the major pieces the Bruins lost in the offseason and how they’re doing with their new clubs.
Riley Nash – C – Columbus Blue Jackets
Nash had a career year in Boston last season. He tallied 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 76 games. All were career highs. He took those numbers and signed a 3-year deal in Columbus with an AAV of $2.75 million. However, his play so far hasn’t backed up the deal he was signed to. Nash is currently on the Blue Jackets 4th line and has just two assists to show for in 16 games. The 29-year-old is a talented bottom-6 forward, which makes me feel like he’ll break out of the struggles he’s in. But seeing his production and the production from Joakim Nordstrom in Boston, it really feels like both parties are missing the relationship they had the last two seasons.
Tim Schaller – W – Vancouver Canucks
The Merrimack, New Hampshire native has been playing on the top line for the Vancouver Canucks over the last few games. That is, the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks. Schaller is a terrific energy guy and is someone the Bruins miss. He isn’t a legit top line forward, he’s just playing on a team that’s got no top line. Through 16 games he’s got just three assists for the Canucks. However, points aren’t everything for a guy like Schaller, who’s expected to provide energy and kill penalties for his club.
Adam McQuaid – D – New York Rangers
The Bruins traded McQuaid to the Rangers in September and he’s currently on the injured reserve for the club. After a good start with the Rangers, McQuaid suffered a lower body injury and has been out of the lineup since October 25th. He has two assists in eight games for the club. With the recent play of the Bruins, McQuaid is a guy that the team could use on the back end. But he’s also injured, which means he wouldn’t be too helpful to the club right now.
Anton Khudobin – G – Dallas Stars
After a solid 2017-18 campaign, Khudobin went out and got himself a contract with the Dallas Stars. In five starts he’s got a 3-1-1 record with a 2.37 GAA and a .926 save %. He looked good in his last start against the Bruins, which ended in a 2-1 OT loss for the Stars. Khudobin seemed like a guy that the Bruins would sorely miss once he left in free agency, however, the great play of Jaroslav Halak has made the loss of Khudobin feel easy.
So nobody the Bruins lost in free agency or via trade has been lighting up the scoresheet to start the season. As a Bruins fan, that’s something to be happy about. The only hope for Bruins fans now is that their new acquisitions start performing better so that the club can get to where they want to be.
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Kevin Maggiore (@kevin_maggiore)