Name: David Krejci
Position: Center
Age: 24
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 177
Shoots: Right
Status: Signed through 2011-12 season at $3.75M cap-hit per

Line combinations:

Regular season, EV: 43.78% w/Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler
Regular season, PP: 36.45% w/Mark Recchi and Wheeler
Playoffs, EV: 49.13% w/Miroslav Satan and Marco Sturm
Playoffs, PP: 75% w/Patrice Bergeron and Recchi

The Good: Just wait until the 24-year-old center gets some wingers who can actually light the lamp with some regularity. With the poor performance of Ryder and Wheeler over the 2009-10 NHL season  — missing golden opportunities wide of the net, off the iron or right in the breadbasket of opposing goaltenders — most certainly kept Krejci to a pedestrian 52 points in 79 games.

The Czech Republic native really turned the corner during the Olympics, playing for his home country — looking like the David Krejci, circa 2008-09. No. 46 netted 21 of his 52 points in 22 games after the Olympic break, including five assists in four of his last five games of the season. Along with the late-season push he gave the Bruins into the playoffs, Krejci proved to be one of the team’s best two-way players and a rock in all three zones.

During the playoffs, Krejci registered 3-2-5, plus-1 totals on round one against Buffalo;  and 1-2-3, plus-2 in the three appearances in round two versus the Flyers.

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The Bad: Injuries once again…maybe was a tad overzealous with coming back from last off-season hip surgery a bit too quickly — appearing in Game 1 of the season. Krejci started off slow — notching his first point of the season in Game 5 against Colorado, and scoring his first goal in 10th game of the season versus Ottawa.

After dislocating wrist — which abruptly ended his 2009-10 season in Game 3 against the Flyers — his absence really affected Satan’s play, as the two really gelled throughout their time together in the post season. Krejci registered a point in each of the three games against Philly, and Satan failed see the boxscore after scoring the game-winner in Game 3.

Final Grade:

A healthy Krejci, with the right weapons beside him, should easily crack the lineup as a top-2 centerman. He plays much bigger than a player who is listed at 177 lbs., and is a key cog to both the power play and penalty kill.

Cross your fingers for a quick and successful recovery for No. 46 next season — as he’s sure to bounce back and put up numbers like two years ago.

Next report card: No. 48 Matt Hunwick

Check out my other 16 report cards right here.