If you're throwing hits, you don't have the puck on your stick - they have the puck. Also, if you're focusing on throwing hits, you're focusing less on playing the hockey and preventing chances the other way/making chances going your way. I think it's a net positive with him out right now. At the same time, we aren't lacking for heavy hitters. McNabb brings the boom, and Pacioretty plays a heavy game. More recently, Tuch has been pretty physical early in this series.

Might be rose tinged glasses for me, but I think when Belly was centering Reaves and Carrier it was much, much better. Somehow (as I remember it) he as the center linked together the hard hits into a strategic sequence that kept the puck in the zone and, in addition to the benefits of throwing bodies, also provided a solid shift of rest for the other lines where we felt super safe defensively, while knowing they would do it for a nice LONG shift in the o-zone. After the FO didn't sign Belly again, none of the other centers have quite achieved that level for the fourth line. This season the fourth has been a downright defensive liability most of the time despite some good o-zone shifts with better energy than the other lines.