Do you see yourself as someone who can help fill the leadership void with the Bruins this season?
"Oh, 100 percent. I think I've had that role. I try to lead a lot with my play on the ice, but when you have so many good leaders, and we've been spoiled to have so many good leaders in the locker room, it's almost like you don't really have to be the guy stepping up to say something. But now it's going to be time for other guys to do it and I think it falls naturally into some of the guys. You can't have 12 guys in between periods standing up and talking. You have certain voices that people want to listen to and now is going to be the chance for some other guys to step up and carry on that legacy."
What is an example of the legacy that Bergeron and Krejci left that can be carried on?
"I always tell people that I wish everyone got a chance to be around them and to play with a guy like Bergeron, but it's also something that doesn't happen by just being around him a little bit. Even seeing ‘Marchy’ (Brad Marchand) now, you have those guys that have had tremendous success and been good players in the League for a long time. You understand why because you see what they do on a day-to-day basis, but what they do on a day-to-day basis is what feeds the rest of us. They always come in to put the work in. They're always super nice to all the staff, to everyone. They always treat everyone with respect. If it's a rookie or a superstar that comes to the team, they always treat them equally. At the end of the day, it's a very individual sport in in some ways but you have to be a team to accomplish something, and we found that balance in the locker room and it's going to be something we have to carry on. We're really good at picking players that have the similar personalities, respectful and want to go to work, put in the extra work that it takes to win in this league."
Are you a talker in the locker room?
"Yes, I can step up when it's the right time. I've always been the leader that wants to lead with my game. If we get scored on, I want to be the next guy out there to show that I'm ready to step up and play. I think that's one way I like to lead and then speaking I'll be the guy to pick the right spots than just to be the guy to talk for the sake of talking."
The way last season ended for the Bruins was obviously very tough, but for you it was also quite painful. How is everything healing and how are you feeling?
"I feel great. It took some time. I was a little worried, I'm not going to lie, in the mid-summer there when I really couldn't run and jump. But from what I've heard my doctors weren't too worried. They were good supporting me with the whole staff back in Boston. Feet take a long time to heal. That's what I've realized. I don't plan on getting another shot in my foot, that is one thing for certain. With my playing style I need to be active and skating around."
Where did you really feel it impacting you in the playoffs?
"I didn't really know that I was injured until later on. Sometimes it doesn't always show up right away on X-rays. When you go into that X-ray room, you're almost praying to God that it's not a fracture and obviously it was hurting really bad so at first I thought it was a bone bruise. But then it didn't really get better. I would have played through it no matter what and after the season when I really checked it out it was fractured. I wasn't aware at the time. I would have changed some things, but I would have still played through it. You learn some things about yourself and you have to adjust your game a little bit. I thought I had a little bit more to give but my foot was holding me back a little bit. You also have to learn ways to play with stuff like that. It's part of the game. You can't always be healthy. That's just hockey, and you have to play and learn from it."
Do the Bruins have something to prove this season?
"Yes. 100 percent. There are no seasons that are for waste because you learn the most from your biggest losses. Everyone knows to take their share. We had a big opportunity to do something good. We had a really good team and that's always going to be there. If you ask any athlete, they always remember the losses, the loss of opportunities, more than the wins. I think we have a lot of hungry guys in the locker room that want to win. It's going to show this year that we still have that edge."
Did you personally play at a higher level last season than what you previously played at when you were with the Anaheim Ducks?
"I think I've had that game. If you look at how I played when I played in Sweden when I was young that's always been my playing style. I think this style of hockey coming to Boston, it was just more fitting of what kind of player I am. I think I was held back a little bit from the way I want to play when I was playing in Anaheim. When I meet all the young hockey players, I always say it can be frustrating when you do the extra work and you don't really get rewarded the next day, but you put that in the bank and you never really know when it's going to be taken out. I know there are more people watching me being on the Bruins now but I've always been really confident in my abilities and what I can do and what I can do help the team win, so I wasn't that surprised. Obviously, we had a really good team last year and everyone was doing really well so maybe you got a little extra wind in your sail, but for me personally I have more to give and I feel better this summer now with my foot healed up so I'm super excited about the season."
You said you felt you were held back in Anaheim. In what ways? And how were you unleashed in Boston?
"Held back in a way that maybe wasn't always fitting my role and also the style of hockey we were playing, which was a little more standing on the blue line. In Boston, unleashed in a way that it was just grab the puck, skate up, join the rush. Use your skating to your advantage. That kind of hockey fit me really well."
