Boychuk/By S. Bradley
There are benefits and risks to playing with Zdeno Chara, as Johnny Boychuk did for most of the 2011-12 regular season (as he did the prior season too).
On the one hand, you’re playing with the best defenseman in the NHL and you know you always have someone to cover up your mistakes. But on the other hand, if you play poorly and force Chara to have to do too much, that can have ramifications throughout the entire Bruins lineup.
For the second straight season, Boychuk was solid, although not spectacular, as Chara’s sidekick. And then in the postseason he once again formed a solid second pair with Andrew Ference, a duo that did a solid job of slowing down Nicklas Backstrom and Washington’s second line.
At just 28 years old, Boychuk still has time to develop an even better all-around game, and that’s what the Bruins will be banking on.
Stats
Regular season: 77GP, 5-10-15, plus-27
Playoffs: 7GP, 1-2-3, plus-1
Contract status: Signed through 2014-15 at a cap hit of 3,366,667
Regular season recap
Highlight: The Bruins dominated Toronto during the regular season, and Boychuk played a huge role in one of those victories Dec. 3 at TD Garden. He scored the goal that made it 3-1, as the Bruins rolled to a 4-1 victory. His big hit on Clarke MacArthur on the same shift as his goal turned the momentum of the game in the Bruins’ favor. He was a plus-3 with three shots on goal and two hits, and he helped keep Phil Kessel point-less.
Lowlight: Boychuk suffered through an off night in Buffalo Feb. 8, as he was a minus-3 with just two shots on goal in a 6-0 loss that was one of Boston’s worst defeats of the season. His giveaway to Ville Leino and subsequent inability to contain the Sabres forward led to a Jason Pominville goal that helped bury the Bruins.
Playoff recap: Boychuk held his own in the Bruins’ seven-games loss to Washington. His one playoff game came on the power play, a place he might be able to earn more playing time as Boston tries to rectify its man-advantage problems.
Grade: B-minus. Boychuk matched his career-high for goals with five from 2009-10, except he played 26 more games this season. He played eight more than games than in 2010-11 and recorded one less point. The Bruins need more offensive output from a guy with a rocket for a shot.
Carnac predicts … part of the Bruins’ plan to solve their power-play woes will revolve around giving Boychuk an extended look at one of the points. His new contract extension could make him a bargain if he continues to improve his game, or he could be trade bait down the road with the emergence of Boston’s top prospects on the back end.
keep him. he is solid and a good team player.
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Random, but Boychuk seems to be a perfect example of how defenseman generally grow into the prime of their careers later than forwards. He has been learning the game the right way, taking no shortcuts.
This year was by far the best I’ve seen of Boychuk. He truly has been developing consistently since being in a b’s uniform. Where he was once a turnover machine he can now almost always be relied upon to make the right play. Stand-out guy, class act, professional and a great teammate. i’d like to see him rock the “A” at some point in the future. I hope to see him continue to develop his offensive game. One of his weaknesses is when he receives a pass on the point, he often has to look down to make sure the puck is on his stick; taking too much time. He could improve his skating and stick handling as well.
RD
It wasn’t a down a year for Johnny. He was better with the puck, he was more physical, and blocked more shots. Didn’t have as many points, but a d-man’s first priority should be stop the opposition, not score. You have had too many of those type of d-men in Montreal, so you should know.
I’m surprised he doesn’t have more offensive upside playing alongside Chara. Chara’s not the type to pinch given his mobility. I would figure he’d put up more than 15 points…
Was this a down year for Johnny?
Agreed on the pp time. A low, heavy shot, that’s pretty accurate should get a lot more time.
I’d like to see him make some better pinching and when to go for the big hit decisions though. He didn’t make bad choices every game, far from it, they just seemed to come at some inopportune times.