Untouchable Players on the Bruins’ Roster- Part Two

Picking up from where I left off yesterday, here’s three more players I consider to be untouchable on the Bruins roster. Again they are in no particular order, although some of these are more controversial than yesterday. As I also said yesterday, some of you may disagree with some of the ones I name untouchable, but remember, this is my opinion and my opinion only and you don’t have to agree with me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am not necessarily right or wrong here. Without further adieu, here are the next three untouchables!

1. Charlie McAvoy, D. Starting off with what I feel it another obvious inclusion on this list, McAvoy is the team’s number one defenseman of the present and future. This is no doubt that he needs to be resigned, and I’m confident it will happen. He is developing into an elite two-way defenseman, with seven goals and 21 assists in 54 games this season while also being great in his own zone. He’ll also only get better in both aspects as he continues to gain experience and mature. Already when you watch him play, it’s easy to forget he only has two full years of experience under his belt and is just 21. McAvoy was thrown directly into the playoffs in his first year, and even then and there he did not look out a place. He looks like he’s been in the NHL for a long time, aside from the occasional bad game or mistake, and it’s amazing to think he will only continue to improve from here. It’s safe to say he’ll end up looking like a steal at 14th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, as in my opinion he already does, especially when you consider a few of the ones taken before him. McAvoy also likely extended Chara’s career, as he makes up for what Big Z lacks in speed and now offense, while Chara covers for him when he jumps into the play offensively and for his inevitable mistakes as a young guy. He’s one of the future franchises of the franchise, and Sweeney should hang up the phone if anyone mentions him in trade talks. Just like I said about Pastrnak, we’re in for a real treat in Boston for a long time with some of the young players.
2. Jake DeBrusk, LW. DeBrusk is probably a more controversial choice than the others, but I love him. As streaky as he can be, he always goes hard and is just fun to watch. He’s developed great chemistry with David Krejci, and DeBrusk’s speed and nose for the net is the perfect complement to him, who is a great playmaker with the ability to slow down the game. While the sometimes reckless way he crashes the net and often goes hard into the boards provides some heart-stopping moments, it also showcases his heart and willingness to do anything to win. As did playing injured in the playoffs, although it wasn’t smart for him to play through a concussion. He set a career-high in points this season, with 27 goals and 15 assists in 68 games, and he will only continue to get better as he matures and gains experience. We must remember he is just 22 years old with two seasons of NHL experience, and young players are often streaky, but they tend to snap out of it. It is realistic to call him a future 30 goal-scorer and 60+ point man, as he nearly had that many goals this season and had a down-season assist-wise. Sweeney considered him untouchable at the deadline this season when other teams came calling, and clearly, I agree. I change drafting him where they did in 2015 for a second, even considering the players still on the board. Heart is not easily replaced, and DeBrusk has plenty of it while also being a great top-six winger. He will only continue to improve from here, and should not be traded under any circumstances. He should also come back at a decent cap hit next season, we should see him in the Spoked-B for a long time.
3. Torey Krug, D. I expect many people will disagree with this, but I strongly believe that Krug should remain a Bruin for a long time and that they need to resign him before the end of the season. Trading Krug would seriously hurt the team, as even though McAvoy projects to have a similar offensive ceiling and be a better overall player, he isn’t quite there yet. He could be soon, but call me crazy, as I ask why not have them both? Yeah, Krug is looking at a significant raise and there’s the salary cap to contend with, but, the top line are all signed to really team-friendly contracts. Technically, they should have money to spare, and who’s to say one or both of Krug and McAvoy doesn’t take a team-friendly deal themselves? Not saying they have to or that they will, but there’s a chance, especially since they both love the city. Krug produced six goals and 47 assists in 64 games last season while greatly improving his defensive play, particularly in the playoffs. You aren’t finding that production easily elsewhere, and certainly not for less than they should be able to get Krug for. In addition, he’s a premier power play quarterback, and not just a power play specialist anymore. Also, he’s well-liked in the room and is a leader, and that shouldn’t be completely discounted. If Boston trades him now, it would be a big mistake and leave a gaping hole offensively from the back end, particularly on the power play. They would be much better off just finding a way to resign him because it would be far worse to watch him walk for nothing after this season. Thankfully, from the sounds of it, the team agrees with me, and I think we’ll see him in the Spoked-B for a long time.

I will be posting the final four tomorrow on a separate post, so check back on the site then for more, as the next four are more controversial!