Kalman: Krejci Motivated By Line Demotion
BOSTON (CBS) - Bruins head coach Claude Julien and center David Krejci might not agree on the pivot's level of performance in last week's losses to Carolina and Pittsburgh.
And that disagreement might just be the major motivator that gets Krejci clicking like a No. 1 center again.
After he was held point-less and shot-less against the Penguins Saturday, Krejci was shifted to a less-skilled line between speedster Benoit Pouliot and rookie grinder Jordan Caron during Sunday's win at Washington. The line didn't produce any offense, but enjoyed a couple sustained shift on the attack and didn't get scored on.
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That trio was still together for Boston's practice Tuesday at Ristuccia Arena. After practice, Krejci reiterated several times that he thought he was playing well and pointed out that through the Ottawa game on January 31 he had been pretty hot. He had recorded a point in 16 of 18 games. Julien's decision to move Krejci away from Milan Lucic and Rich Peverley (who's been filling in on right wing for the concussed Nathan Horton) obviously told a different story of how Krejci was performing, especially in the aftermath of a pair of scoreless games last week.
Now Krejci's on a mission to make it known he's better than his current standing in Boston's lineup.
"I got sent to another line and that's the way the thing goes right now, that's how it is. I can think about it what I want, but if it's wrong or right, whatever," said Krejci, who's fourth on the Bruins with 49 points. "I'm on the line I'm on now. I like my linemates. They're good players, they wouldn't be in this league if they wouldn't be and they're good guys. We have fun together off the ice too. So that's good. I just have to find my game again. I think I am playing the way I want to but the puck's just got to go in the net for me more often, just like it has before the All-Star Game."
Julien's famously patient when it comes to his line combinations. In fact, prior to Sunday the only games Krejci didn't skate on a regular line with Lucic was when Lucic was suspended one game and when Krejci missed time with a core injury in November. Julien stressed that the entire team needed a wakeup call after last week's consecutive losses. When asked specifically about Krejci, however, he offered a slight glimpse at his reasoning behind dropping him on the depth chart after only a couple of subpar games.
"We expect our players to come out and be the best they can every night," said Julien. "That's something that I think they owe to the organization, especially based on their contracts. And that's what we expect from them no matter where they are. You know, the message should be the same whether he plays with certain players or his normal players or other players."
Krejci signed a three-year contract extension that starts next season December 1. That deal will pay him $5.25 million on average per season, and could be translated by some as a free pass to play on the team's first line for its duration. Krejci says neither the pressure to live up to that deal nor the complacency that could settle in for some after gaining that measure of security are affecting him.
"I was doing well. ... I can think what I want to, but I'm not going to say what I think or not," he said. "I'm just going to go out there and play my hardest, try to get to get back where I belong. So that's all I can control."
If Krejci backs up his words with the type of actions he's describing instead of wallowing in his demotion, he and the Bruins will be in better shape. And Julien's rare bout of impatience with his lines will have paid off.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com. He operatesTheBruinsBlog.net and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on twitter@TheBruinsBlog.
