There’s a good chance you’re going to hear “unsung hero” from time to time in Brandon Carlo’s career. It’s certainly a label that was befitting of him in the Bruins' run to the Stanley Cup Final, when he was third on the team in time on ice.
So, why would a second-round pick who’s been nothing but solid three years into his career be “unsung?” Well, he’s on a blue-line that has one of the greatest ever at the position and two of the best offensive defensemen in the league. With all the attention garnered by Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy, it’s easy to let the smooth-skating but offensively limited Carlo slip under the radar.
Watch the games, however, and Carlo’s impact is unmistakable. One of the biggest takeaways for the Canadian media in Boston’s first-round dismissal of the Maple Leafs was just how reliable a defender Carlo had become. It was Carlo’s first postseason experience, as injuries kept him out of the playoffs in his first two seasons.
Carlo was drafted at a time when the Bruins were in dire need of young defensemen. They’d just traded Dougie Hamilton, were months away from dealing Johnny Boychuk and didn’t have any top prospects at the position. He’s blossomed into just the top-four defender they needed. McAvoy’s presence means he doesn’t need to be a top-pair player (they both play the right side), but Carlo could become one of the better shutdown defenders in the league.
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