One of the players that took the Boston Bruins coaching change last summer from Bruce Cassidy to Jim Montgomery as a positive was defenseman Brandon Carlo. The Colorado native was outspoken at the beginning of training camp about how a new voice was needed (from ‘Brandon Carlo, Jim Montgomery and the impact of a new voice on the Bruins: ‘Something we really needed’,’ The Athletic, Sept. 22, 2022).
After struggling the last couple of seasons at different points under Cassidy while also dealing with injuries, including a concussion in the 2020-21 season following a high hit from Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Carlo has always been one of the key defensemen for the Bruins. That didn’t change in 2022-23.
Carlo’s 2022-23 Regular Season Was Good
Let’s be honest here, Carlo is never going to find himself on the scoresheet as much as Charlie McAvoy or Hampus Lindholm do, but he will give you a nightly physical presence on defense and top minutes killing penalties. This season, he played in 75 games with three goals and 13 points with a plus/minus of plus-44 averaging 18:50 a night. All of the defensemen took advantage of the freedom given to them in Montgomery’s system compared to Cassidy. Carlo did join in the offensive rush a handful of times, but he has always been the stay-at-home defenseman.
A shutdown blueliner at 6-foot-6 and 218 pounds with a long reach, he learned under former teammate and captain Zdeno Chara on how to play in his own end. The two were paired earlier in Carlo’s career and the 26-year-old has developed his own game into playing big shifts against the other team’s top lines. This season, along with Derek Forbort, he played a big role on the Boston penalty kill, which was tops in the league in the regular season. He finished the season with 128 hits and 116 blocks.
Carlo Played Well in the Playoffs Against Florida
After a historic regular season, it was a nightmare finish for the Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers. The defense and goaltending did not have their seven games of the season as a whole, but Carlo was one of the bright spots for Montgomery.
He had four assists in the seven games and took on more of an offensive role with 16 shots on the net. His two biggest assists of the series happened in Games 6 and 7. Trailing 3-2 entering the third period of Game 6, Boston tied the game 1:31 into the period when Carlo’s shot from the point was redirected by Tyler Bertuzzi, but the Black and Gold would go on to allow four goals in the final 20 minutes of a 7-5 loss. Two nights later at the TD Garden in Game 7 and the game tied 2-2, Carlo broke into the Panthers and his shot was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky, but the rebound went directly to David Pastrnak who one-timed the rebound home for a 3-2 lead. That goal stood up until there was a minute left in the game where the Panthers tied and won it eight minutes into overtime.
It was a good postseason for the Bruins’ big defensemen, but unfortunately for the rest of his unit, it was not. A few more performances from other players like Carlo gave and it could have been a different outcome in the series.
Carlo’s Future Fit With the Bruins
One thing is for certain, there’s going to be some change this summer in Boston . How much change? That remains to be seen, but one thing is almost certain, some players under contract might be traded before free agency begins on July 1 to clear some cap space for general manager (GM) Don Sweeney to address roster needs.
Defensively, Connor Clifton is a free agent, as is Dmitry Orlov who was acquired on Feb. 23 in a trade along with Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals. McAvoy and most likely Lindholm is not going anywhere, which leaves Carlo, Forbort, and Matt Grzelcyk as blueliners still under contract who could be traded. Forbort and Grzelcyk both have one-year remaining on the deals, while Carlo has three with a cap hit of $4.1 million, which for a defenseman of his caliber is a good deal to have. If Sweeney gets a deal too good to pass up, could he move Carlo? Yes, but that would take some type of deal to blow Sweeney away from another team to happen.
Grade: A-
More must-reads: