Cassidy planning on breaking up Bruins’ crazy top line?

What!? Why mess with success?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Cassidy planning on breaking up Bruins’ crazy top line?
Zuma Press

In Tuesday night’s 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins centre David Krejci skated the duration of the game with David Backes as his right winger. Backes is the sixth Bruins player to play as Krejci’s right wing this season, with David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Anders Bjork all seeing time on the line. Of all the available options, one clearly stands out to Krejci and for good reason: Pasta.

“He would like to play with Pasta,” Bruce Cassidy said to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa earlier today. “So would JFK. So would Noel (Acciari). All kidding aside, of course, he’d love to have Pasta on his right wing. And he may get him at some point.”

Interesting choice of words from the Bruins head coach considering Pastrnak has played almost the entire season on the team’s top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The trio has combined for 137 points this season and, barring injury, there’s really no good reason for breaking them up.

Krejci, of course, filled in for Bergeron when the latter was out with an injury earlier this season. “Everything was great,” Krejci said. “Obviously they’re great players and make plays sometimes out of nowhere. You’ve just got to be in the right spot at the right time and the puck’s going to find you.”

For what it’s worth Bergeron, the consummate professional that he is, wouldn’t be averse to moving down in the lineup to give Krejci some more playing time with Pastrnak and Marchand. “Playing with Brad and Pasta is a pretty nice spot to be in. I think Riley (Nash) proved that last year. He came in and played well with them. David (Krejci)’s a great talent, a big part of our team. I was happy. I think it just gives us depth when I come back, whether I go back in that spot or if I go down and play with (DeBrusk) and whoever’s with him. We’re a team. You want to compete, obviously — compete for your spot and earn your ice time. That being said, there’s no jealousy when that happens.”

There’s also the possibility of a trade to get some help on the right wing and Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds is apparently on the market. Krejci had real success playing with big wingers earlier in his career when he centred both Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic, could Simmonds be the next player to get an audition alongside the Bruin’s veteran?