Scoops Bolling said:
The Bruins must have some analytics thing that says "gritty 4th liners are undervalued", right? I mean, I defend most of Chia's moves as I think most people are far too harsh on him and are all too prone to forget the years of incompetence that preceded him, but I've never really understood the ongoing obsession with these guys.
I don't think they're that sophisticated. I think they honestly think that these kind of guys help you win. Like, Campbell is by all accounts a great teammate and he's always willing to fight (even if he sucks at it). I think they see that kind of stuff and think that's the role of the 4th line and leave it at that.
Witness the Behind the B talk among the "brain trust" when discussing the Seguin trade: "so he's a 30-goal guy," veiled shots at Kessel, etc. They think their way is the best and the Cup vindicated that.
They're a little bit right, I mean, when Campbell was younger and cheaper he was probably an asset given his intangibles. And Bergeron is the epitome of this given that he's actually good -- I'm sure he could get a lot more goals than he does but he's very selfless, and that's great. But he's one-of-a-kind.
Not every forward has to be a tough, lunchpail guy, and sometimes it's OK if a d-man gambles if the times he succeeds outweighs the times he turns it over. Building your team like this might be great if you didn't have a cap and you could pick and choose everyone, but given the restrictions and the difficulties of trading, maybe it's sometimes better to let your players do what they're good at, no?
/rant