Recchi: Bruins Don't Have Krejci, They Don't Win Championships
BOSTON (CBS) - David Krejci has come under some fire for some recent struggles, but former Boston Bruin and three-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Recchi said without Krejci, the Bruins won't win anything.
"When you have the center men the Bruins are fortunate to have, that's when you win championships. You found that last year; with goaltending, defense and center men. That's what they have and Krej is a big part of that. If they don't have Krej, they don't win championships and that's what people have to realize," Recchi told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Tuesday.
"He's a game breaker, a great two-way player," he said of Krejci, who currently has 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points, fifth on the team. "All players go through little funks and he's getting notice more because he is a great player. When he is on top of his game, it's just the standard he's set is so high so when he struggles, it's frustrating."
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"People don't realize how competitive he really is, and I think you do see that in the playoffs. You would like to see that on an everyday basis, but it's hard through an 82-game schedule to be a high-end player every night," he said. "He still produces almost a point a game, and that's pretty good in this league."
To try to get Krejci out of his funk, head coach Claude Julien has bounced from the top line, and more recently, moved him over to the wing position.
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Krejci has just two goals and no assists for the month of February, but Recchi is confident he will break out of it soon, when the Bruins will need him most.
"He'll be there when he's needed. Everybody goes through little stretches. He's definitely not a winger, but it's ok to bounce around and play wing a little bit and try different things, maybe get yourself out of a little funk. Claude is great at that."
