The loss of Nathan Horton was a tough one for the Boston Bruins.
And one they, at the time, would’ve preferred not to deal with. But Horton, a playoff hero in 2011 and 2013, didn’t seem interested in dealing with another year of the limelight that comes with being a star athlete in Boston. A family man with two sons, Horton and company instead made the move to Columbus to join the Blue Jackets on a seven-year pact worth $37.1 million, creating a huge hole in the Bruins’ top six. Gone was the forward that recorded 15 goals and 36 points in 43 playoff games with Boston. Expected to replace his production was the 21-year-old Tyler Seguin, veteran utility forward Rich Peverley, or pending unrestricted free agent to be Jaromir Jagr.
None of the aforementioned options had any real proven chemistry with top-liners Milan Lucic and David Krejci (though they were rarely given the chance) like Horton did. Peverley had stepped up for Horton in Game 3 and beyond of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, and Seguin had a trial with the duo during the 2011-12 campaign when Horton went down with a concussion. But again, there was not enough of a sample with those players in that role that you could see and use as your basis to say, “Yeah, this is our top line in 2013-14 and beyond.…
This ultimately lead to the Seguin/Peverley to Dallas for Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith swap. And for a Boston squad in search of at least one more Cup during their (currently open) window featuring Zdeno Chara as one of the game’s premier defensemen, they needed more. Free agent addition Jarome Iginla, a player that snubbed Boston for Pittsburgh last spring, only to be eliminated by those same Bruins a few months later, has been more than enough this year.
At 36, and with two goals on just four shots in the Bruins’ 5-1 win on Saturday, giving him 23 goals and 53 points in 67 games this season, Iginla’s shown no signs of slowing down either.
“All year, it’s been fun. But especially in the last 20 games or whatever each line is finding ways on different nights to put a lot of pressure on the other team,… Iginla said on Saturday. “We’ve been able to get that zone time and be good offensively, but also still defensively. So things are going well and it’s a fun roll that we’re on as a group. But nobody’s complacent. Every day we’re trying to come and stay focused, and the coaching staff and Zee has us focused. It’s game time, it’s ready to go.…
With Krejci and Lucic, forming what’s becoming known as the ‘KIL’ line, the trio have straight up terrorized opponents this year. Putting forth a consistent effort that’s pinned the opposition in their own zone at will, with Iginla and Lucic creating the time and space for No. 46 to work his playmaking magic, Iginla’s presence on his linemates hasn’t been lost on the Black-and-Gold’s coaching staff.
“I told [Krejci] that the other day I said, ‘This is as consistent as I’ve seen you since you’ve been here,’ and that’s all part of growing as a player, maturity, understanding his role. At the same time he’s wearing a letter this year so he’s got some responsibilities and Looch has come back this year and has played the way he finished last year,… B’s coach Claude Julien said after the Bruins’ eighth straight win. “We can’t forget these are still young players. They are in their twenties and they’re young players so there’s always room for them to grow and I think that’s what we’re all seeing here is growth in some of those players, but at the same time you’re right. You got a guy Jarome Iginla, for a guy who's been in the league this long has a really done a great job in maintaining his conditioning, comes into practice and games and works hard, competes hard all the time. So, those young guys don’t have an opportunity to do nothing more than try and follow his lead.…
In my opinion, it’s been clear that Iginla’s an upgrade over Horton. But what do the numbers say?
At this point in 2010-11, Horton’s first and only fully healthy season with Lucic and Krejci, the 6-foot-2 Horton had 19 goals and 44 points in 65 games. Though he played two less games than Iginla, those numbers obviously pale in comparison to Iginla’s totals in his first year with Boston. It’s worth nothing that by Game 67 in 2010-11, Lucic had 29 goals and 51 points in 64 games while Krejci had tallied 10 goals and added 42 assists in just 60 contests.
Overall, that’s a combined 58 goals and 147 points from your first line by the end of Game 67.
In 2013-14, Iginla’s recorded 23 goals and 53 points in 67 games. Lucic has 21 goals and 52 points in 66 contests, and Krejci has struck with 16 goals and 59 points in 67 contests this year. That’s a total of 60 goals and 164 points this season. That’s almost another 20 points. Obviously, this year’s trio has health on its side, with Lucic being the only one member of the first line to miss a game this year (he was out with flu-like symptoms against the Anaheim Ducks). But as Julien alluded to, the impact of Iginla in the Boston room and on that top line goes beyond what the box score can show.
“He’s exactly what he was advertised as, as a good team player, a hard-worker, competitive guy, and again I can see why he had a letter in Calgary because he’s got that leadership quality in him,… Julien noted of Iginla, a 17-year NHL veteran. “As I mentioned before, we have a lot of guys here that could easily wear that letter, but he’s part of our, what we call, our core group. When there’s some decisions to be made between coaches and players he’s part of that group, it’s been around a long time. But he’s exactly what was advertised, there’s been absolutely no surprises with him.…
Iginla’s been there. He’s a leader. He’s a warrior. And he’s pushing his teammates to another level.
“You can see he’s obviously come to his own here and starting to feel good about himself as he has the last I’d say ten, twenty games and you know we all know what he can do from what he’s done in the past,… Lucic said of Iginla’s recent hot streak. “He’s definitely a confident guy that’s always pushing for more and you see the little things in him that has made him so successful throughout his career and I think it’s starting to show more and more and the season’s gone on.…
Lucic, currently paced for his third year with 25 goals and 60 points, knows what’s going right for his line as of late. (Spoiler: It’s what’s essentially gone right for them for the entire season now.)
“We’re doing a good job supporting each other and using our strength and our speed. You know when we get forechecking, it tends to turn pucks over and get some zone time where we’re able to create some chances and also it just feels like everything is clicking for our line right now,… said Lucic. “It’s a good feeling that we have right now, we’ve got to keep pushing and keep wanting more.…
And when it comes to Lucic, it’s fair to suggest that the presence of Iginla, one of the game’s all time greats when it comes to using size and power in the attacking zone, has done wonders for No. 17. Though he’s established himself as one of the game’s top power forwards, I’ve always found that Lucic sometimes mirrors his opposite wingers from a confidence or mindset standpoint. It rarely seemed as if you were ever talking about Horton being ice cold and Lucic white hot at the same time, but rather both of them disappearing or both of them straight up dominating with each rush up ice.
Iginla, from a consistency standpoint, is not Horton. And that’s a good thing. It’s also expected given the desperation that’s part of No. 12’s game in 2014. By now, you know the Iginla story: A veteran of 1,299 games at this level, and with just about every award and honor to his name, Iginla’s decision to sign with the Bruins back on July 5th comes back to one burning desire. Jarome needs a Cup, man.
And through almost 70 games, he looks like a man that just won’t accept a springtime defeat.
Too long; didn’t read: Jarome Iginla’s straight killin’ it out there.