Brodziak takes a seat after slow start
Kyle Brodziak, who was minus-2 in 9½ minutes in the Game 1 loss to the New Jersey Devils Saturday in Sweden, drew the short straw as Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan juggled his bottom-six forwards, putting Jujhar Khaira in the fourth-line centre spot in Thursday’s game against the Bruins.
While it may seem a quick hook for the free-agent signee, Brodziak took it like a pro, like somebody who has played 848 games and has always been a role player. He sat for five straight games in Minnesota one year and was a healthy scratch in St. Louis.
“I’m pretty notorious for being a slow starter,” said Brodziak, who had an average camp before the opening game setback in Sweden. “It’s not a physical thing. I’ve come in with one of the best conditioning (scores). I’ve gone through it my whole career where I have a tendency to over-think things and my game isn’t as fast. I get myself into trouble because of it. I’ve dealt with this before.”
He has looked in the mirror and doesn’t like what he sees.
“I know where my game needs to be and I’m not playing up to my personal standards.”
McLellan had a talk with Brodziak, 34, and fully expects him to come around.
“There are a number of players on notice and they’ll be given an opportunity to turn their performances around from what we saw in Sweden,” McLellan said.
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Bruins captain Zdeno Chara wasn’t a polished defensive product when he entered the league — unlike his 20-year-old partner Charlie McAvoy, who stepped in seamlessly following a year in college.
Chara struggled in his early days as an NHL defenceman, in large part because he was so big and gangly. He says there’s no timeline for when blue-liners are ready.
“I can’t put a number on it, like a game mark or an age,” Chara said.
“When I was coming into the league at 19 or 20, they said it would take about six or seven years because 27-year-olds were considered more reliable defencemen but it was different then where guys would go up and down to the minors. Now, these young players are way more advanced, speed and skill-wise, which is a credit to their parents and getting them technical, power-skating and shooting coaches. That allows them to skip the process.
“They’re just ready younger. They carry it, they see the ice, they score goals. They play 25 minutes a night. Look at that (18-year-old Rasmus) Dahlin in Buffalo.”