The Bruins defense came into the season with several question marks and while they still lack depth, the blue line is starting to turn into something promising.
Boston currently boasts the seventh ranked defense in the NHL, as well as the third best penalty kill in the game.
The Bruins lost Torey Krug to a broken jaw and Adam McQuaid to a broken leg to start the season, but the team has been able to shuffle around players in a feasible manner.
Krug managed to come back from his nasty pre season jaw injury, and while his plus minus of -9 isn’t ideal, he still has 16 points so far, which is the fourth most on the roster.
Rookie Charlie McAvoy has been as good as advertised and is already seeing the ice time of a starting defenseman. He leads the team in average time on ice.
Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo aren’t getting much publicity, but the two are quietly having solid years defensively. Chara’s +11 rating on the ice is the best on the team while Carlo holds a respectable +4.
The Bruins faced heavy criticism for protecting Kevan Miller in the expansion draft over Colin Miller, however it looks like they made the right call.
Kevan is having a solid year defensively even though his 49 penalty minutes are quite alarming.
Meanwhile, Colin has 15 points for the Golden Knights, but is struggling on the defensive side of the game.
The Bruins’ blue line still has many challenges ahead and can’t afford another major injury, but this starting squad is more than serviceable so far this season.
