Bruins' inexcusable mess, Dahlin's scoring spree, and Kubalik's new groove

"I can't take more of this."

That's how Isaiah Meyer-Crothers ended a heart-wrenching written statement published Wednesday by the Hockey Diversity Alliance. A young Black man with developmental disabilities, Meyer-Crothers has been reliving trauma over the past week because the Boston Bruins deemed Mitchell Miller - a 20-year-old defenseman convicted as a youth for abusing and bullying Meyer-Crothers - worthy of an NHL contract.

"Mitchell isn't my friend. It hurts my heart what he did to me," Meyer-Crothers wrote in the statement. It detailed Miller's years-long physical and verbal abuse, including frequent use of the N-word.

"Everyone thought he was cool," Meyer-Crothers added, "but I don't see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life."

It's unfathomable how the Bruins put themselves in this position. It's an unforced error of epic proportions.

All the Miller signing has done is remind the public that certain people in hockey have yet to remove their blinders and see how their actions within the sport fit into the current culture; that certain people will cut corners in a background check if a player has enough upside to perhaps run a power play someday.

Imagine if the Bruins simply didn't do the morally bankrupt thing and instead directed their focus to the hundreds of other players with NHL potential. No team needs to bet on somebody who made a classmate's life miserable for years and then, according to the victim, failed to offer a sufficient apology.

The Arizona Coyotes, who drafted Miller in 2020 before renouncing the pick days later under public pressure, stumbled through a similar scenario.

People, especially young people, deserve a second chance in life. But a second chance should be available when there's legitimate proof of work to atone for and recognize mistakes made. Taking Miller and his agent at their word wasn't legitimate proof. One phone call by the Bruins - to Meyer-Crothers or his parents - would have given the team enough information to walk away.

It truly boggles the mind that conversations with veteran players didn't stop general manager Don Sweeney from making this move. Captain Patrice Bergeron, one of the most respected players in the NHL, says he isn't on board with the signing, and you still make the deal? Anything to upgrade a prospect pool that finished dead last in The Athletic's preseason rankings, right?

This saga may be receding from the news cycle, but it is far from over.

Bruins president Cam Neely told reporters Monday that he needed the week to better understand how the vetting process fell short. Depending on his discoveries - and his appetite for discipline - Neely could send a firm message.

There's also the deal itself. Though the Bruins announced last Sunday that they will "part ways" with Miller, he remains under contract. The league office certified the deal, so if the team attempts to terminate the contract the NHLPA will surely file a grievance on Miller's behalf. Is a settlement between Miller and the Bruins forthcoming? A contract buyout?

As newsworthy as those issues will be, nothing can erase the past week and the trauma Meyer-Crothers has relived.

Dahlin's early scoring spree

Rasmus Dahlin set an NHL record by potting a goal in each of his first five games of the year. The fifth-year defenseman is up to seven tallies in 13 games - and he hasn't just elevated his scoring. He's registering shot attempts (6.4 per game) and shots on goal (4.2) at career-high rates, too.

"Oh, really?" Dahlin said last week from his stall at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, his eyes lighting up at the mention of those gaudy shot-generation statistics.

The Sabres alternate captain didn't luck into a hot start. He spent the offseason working with Hockey Hall of Fame forward and skills coach Adam Oates. Through on-ice drills and video sessions, Dahlin has learned how to "feel comfortable in awkward situations," so that no matter the level of difficulty, he can make something out of every offensive opportunity.

"I wanted to be more of a threat," Dahlin said. In the past, the smooth-skating Swede had trouble getting shots off if his arms were restricted or he was off-balance. But Oates, whom Dahlin called a "hockey genius," managed to "open new doors on the ice" that the 22-year-old hadn't previously seen.

Dahlin's first goal of the year illustrates Oates' influence. You can see below the puck is in his skates, but he manages to shovel it toward the net with no time to adjust as the defender lunges and the goalie scrambles:

A pro scout for an NHL team recently told me, completely unprompted, that Dahlin is the best defenseman on the planet when he's playing his "A" game. The physical tools - from his size and strength to his skating and hands - are off the charts, and he processes the game in an elite way.

Dahlin has taken a page from Roman Josi's playbook. The 2020 Norris Trophy winner's shooting mentality creates passing lanes for his teammates and, in turn, higher-quality scoring chances. "If you shoot more," Dahlin said, "opponents have to respect you, and then that's when you can make a pass."

The 2018 first-overall pick has capitalized on 13% of his shots, more than double his career average. A dip in production is likely coming as that rate normalizes. Still, Dahlin's Josi-esque shot metrics suggest his hot start has merit. He's more dangerous than ever this season.

Kubalik thriving with Detroit

Something unusual happened this past offseason: A handful of relatively young, high-upside NHLers became unrestricted free agents after not receiving qualifying offers. Overnight, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Sonny Milano, Danton Heinen, and Ilya Samsonov were available to the entire league.

Fast forward four months, and Strome - the third overall pick of the 2015 draft - has fit in nicely with the Capitals, collecting 12 points in 15 games following four seasons with the Blackhawks. Recent injury aside, Samsonov - another 2015 first-rounder - has made a smooth transition from Washington to Toronto, posting a .921 save percentage in eight starts for the Maple Leafs.

Then there's Kubalik, the ultimate early-season success story. Skating for a career-high 16:07 a night, the shoot-first winger is leading or tied for the team lead in goals (six), assists (10), and points (16). It's early, but Kubalik has looked like the rookie stud who bagged 30 goals in 68 games with Chicago in 2019-20.

Asked last week about his final months in Chicago, Kubalik told theScore he "knew something was going to happen, even during the season at last year's trade deadline." The breakup with the Blackhawks, the Czech native added, "was in my mind very much all summer, until free agency opened and (me and my agent) started working with some teams, trying to get a fit somewhere."

Kubalik maintains he was "never pissed" at the franchise that gave him an NHL opportunity after he spent his first five pro seasons playing in Czechia and Switzerland. A couple of clubs, he said, were keen on signing him to a show-me contract this past summer, but the Red Wings expressed the strongest interest.

"There were some offers for one year, but this was what I was looking for - two years," Kubalik said of the deal currently paying him $2.5 million annually.

Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said it was immediately evident Kubalik appreciated the opportunity, and the 27-year-old has used preseason criticism to polish his game. "He's getting rewarded with some offense by doing a lot of good things away from the puck," Lalonde said, acknowledging how the speedy Kubalik has used sound defensive positioning to create scoring chances.

GM Steve Yzerman's other notable UFA signings - forwards David Perron and Andrew Copp, defensemen Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta, and goalie Ville Husso - are also paying early dividends, helping the rebuilding Red Wings to a decent 7-4-3 start.

"We all trust what Steve's doing here," forward Joe Veleno said.

Parting shots

Alex Formenton: The Ottawa Senators forward is the NHL's lone unsigned restricted free agent, and the Dec. 1 RFA signing deadline is fast approaching. The four possible outcomes to this standoff include Formenton's camp and Senators GM Pierre Dorion agreeing on an extension, the team trading the player, Formenton playing in Europe, and the player sitting out an entire year.

Here's how I rank the outcomes from most to least likely: Europe, trade, extension, sit out. The struggling Senators have $3.3 million in cap space and four free contract slots; if Dorion truly wanted to re-sign Formenton, he would have found a way to do so by now. The fact that negotiations have barely progressed is a bad omen for the player's future.

Friends to foes: I cracked up watching last weekend's Dallas Stars-Edmonton Oilers tilt, as Jamie Benn and Zach Hyman went from pals to enemies in the blink of an eye. It's always amusing when opponents embrace each other during a scrum; in what other profession do rivals hug it out? And talk about Benn being a grump, slashing the stick out of Hyman's hands for no reason. I love how quickly it goes from a cordial meeting to a full-on altercation, with Hyman understandably pushing back against Benn's strong-arming. Hockey can be funny.

Panthers blue line: Brandon Montour, a serviceable yet unremarkable NHL defenseman, has logged 26:31 per night through 12 games. It's a shocking number for a player whose previous season high was 22:27. Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings is the only skater with a higher average this season (26:42). Gustav Forsling, who ranks second among Florida Panthers skaters in average ice time, is a full two minutes behind Montour.

There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for the dramatic uptick: Top blue-liner Aaron Ekblad is injured, and Florida traded Ekblad's running mate, MacKenzie Weegar, in July. The Panthers have enjoyed modest success and sit 8-5-1, but it's a suboptimal situation for the defending Presidents' Trophy winners. Ekblad is expected to return to action Saturday, so take a breather, Montour. You deserve it.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).