The Boston Bruins are enjoying a few days of rest before hopping back to the action on the ice. What will be their lineup moving forward, and more importantly, how will their lineup look like in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs?
Perhaps, head coach Bruce Cassidy doesn’t count much with John Moore. After losing a battle with Sidney Crosby against the Penguins, Cassidy benched Moore and made him a healthy scratch in the Bruins’ next game versus the Golden Knights.
It was Jeremy Lauzon who took over Moore’s spot in the lineup. Lauzon scored a goal and looked much better than Moore did. On the other side, Moore doesn’t deserve all the blame. He is constantly forced to play on his off-side, as both Matt Grzelcyk and he are left-shot blueliners. Something has to give, of course.
With Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Grzelcyk all being indisputable on the left side of the defense, where does that leave Moore? With Connor Clifton nearing a return, and Kevan Miller, as well, Moore is poised to sit in the press box.
Still with three more years left on his original five-year deal signed in 2018, and with a salary cap hit of $2.75 million per campaign, the 29-year-old veteran is coming off shoulder surgery in the most recent offseason.
Moore’s signing slowly becomes to look unnecessary. The Bruins projected Moore to be a depth kind of defenseman. For five years and nearly $3 million per season, that’s not an ideal deal for a depth rearguard, that’s for sure.
Moore’s name has circulated in the trade rumors from the beginning of the season, and with the salary cap situation getting thinner and thinner next summer, the Bruins might trade him, indeed.
For the 29-year-old Illinois native who signed a relatively big five-year deal in 2018 to sit in the press box, watching the Bruins putting him on the trade block, is an intriguing situation, to say the least.
As of now, it appears like the Bruins will keep him headed to the playoffs for depth purposes. Projecting the lineup for next season is not as quite safe. Besides, Moore is not making it impossible for his coaches to scratch him. Henceforth, Moore’s stint with Boston has entered an eerie spot.
