Boston Bruins: Does Joakim Nordstrom deserve a lineup spot?

Joakim Nordstrom was a decent free agency pickup for the Boston Bruins. Does he deserve a shot in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season?

Earlier this offseason, the Boston Bruins signed Joakim Nordstrom to a two-year deal, worth a total of $2 million. He spent most the 2017-18 season on the fourth line of the Carolina Hurricanes.

If you just look at his goal and assist totals, he doesn’t look too impressive. Nordstrom only managed to record two goals and five assists for a total of seven points in 75 games. He hasn’t even had a 20 point season since 2015-16.

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Now at 26 years of age, one could get the impression that his NHL days are numbered. If he continues to put up these kinds of point totals, what team would want him?

Fortunately, due to the existence of different metrics, it is evident that he contributes in other manners, besides goals and assists. When taking these into account, we can see that he is actually quite skilled in certain situations.

Legitimate criticisms of Nordstrom last season

So, last season, Nordstrom spent most of his time with Marcus Kruger at center or on the LW. The third player in the offensive combination switched around a lot.

In order to not make this article way longer than it should be, only the players who spent more than 10 percent of the season with him will be taken into account for this section.

Nordstrom’s linemates are important to address, because of his sub-par relative Corsi numbers. He finished with a 51.4 CorsiFor percentage, but the Hurricanes were the best Corsi team in the league.

He recorded a -4.1 relative CorsiFor percentage, which was third-worst on the Canes. This doesn’t look so good, does it? If he can’t score and by the looks of it, can’t really defend, then why should the Bruins put him in the lineup?

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Corsi can obviously be affected by the players around you. Kruger, for example, played almost 56 percent of the season with Nordstrom and recorded a relative CorsiFor percentage of 0.4 percent.

The other forwards who spent a lot of ice time with Nordstrom, were Josh Jooris, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Derek Ryan, and Lee Stempniak. Jooris and Di Giuseppe also recorded relative CF percentages below 0, but none of these four were quite as low as Nordstrom.

Additionally, Nordstrom’s point totals were still disappointingly low. The Carolina Hurricanes desperately needed scoring depth last season, and he didn’t really provide it. So, it seems that Nordstrom had legitimate struggles in terms of puck possession and scoring. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will repeat itself in Boston.

The case for Nordstrom

Now that he’s received his mandatory criticism, what is Nordstrom’s upside? Well, despite a poor relative Corsi, he had some impressive numbers at different spots of the ice. He played as a center, left wing and right wing during last season. Nordstrom’s probably not an ideal centerman and the right wing depth is superior on the Bruins. Let’s focus on the left.

That means, if Nordstrom is better than either Sean Kuraly or Noel Acciari, and better than Peter Cehlarik, then he should be in the lineup. If not, then he would remain a scratch.

Kuraly did better in terms of point production with 14, but let’s be honest, neither of them are scorers. Nordstrom’s CorsiFor percentage is better than Kuraly’s. He had a 51.4 CorsiFor percentage, while Kuraly had a 50.2 percent mark. The latter’s relative CorsiFor percentage is similarly poor, at -3.8.

However, Nordstrom is better at exiting the defensive zone, creating shooting opportunities and is slightly better at entering the offensive zone. It seems like, in general, Nordstrom is better at creating chances, which gives him the edge as an overall player.

The situation is quite similar with Noel Acciari. He is a better point scorer, but his CF% is abysmal, at 48.1, giving him a -6.6 relative. Nordstrom’s zone entries, exits and shot creating abilities are also vastly superior to Acciari’s.

Acciari’s shot contribution per 60 minutes is all the way down at 17; a lot less than Nordstrom’s 72. He is also better at entering the offensive zone with possession (34% vs 17%) and at exiting the zone with possession (82% vs 66%).

So, it seems clear that Nordstrom is probably better than Acciari and Kuraly. However, one of these 2 should stay in at center. Acciari is supposed to be a center, but he never gets to be, so it seems that he is the one to take out of the lineup, leaving Kuraly at center. It doesn’t really matter, as Nordstrom is better than both of them.

However, it must also be established that he is better than Peter Cehlarik. Cehlarik only played 6 NHL games last season, so his information isn’t reliable. He scored 23 points in 35 games with the Providence Bruins, so he has a little going for him.

Yet, the Bruins should probably err on the side of caution, in this case. From the limited information available, his CF% isn’t very good. If he performs well in the AHL and looks like a better option than Nordstrom, then maybe he deserves an opportunity.

For now, at least, it seems that Joakim Nordstrom is the best option at the LW spot on the Bruins 4th line. He also sort of looks like a Bruin. Not the bear, he looks like a Boston Br- never mind. He’s a good fit.

Stats via Christopher Turtoro’s Player comparison tool