<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="850" height="1000" src="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-84144" srcset="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2.png 850w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-255x300.png 255w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-768x904.png 768w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-150x176.png 150w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-300x353.png 300w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-600x706.png 600w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruins-Projected-2-696x819.png 696w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px"></a></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LAST SEASON</strong></h2>



<p>The Boston Bruins were incredibly consistent last season, never losing more than three games in a row and winning more than four in a row only twice. This played a big role in the team basically locking their playoff spot up by February, much like the other seven teams in the Eastern conference in 2021-22. The fact that the Bruins did it in a wild card spot says a lot about how far apart the good and bad teams were in the East that season.</p>



<p>However, when it came to deciding where the top four in the Atlantic division finished, the Bruins were a bit behind the other three teams. The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs dominated in the regular season, and while the seeding between the Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning came down to the final game, the Bolts took over in the playoffs.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="147"></div>



<p>A lot of that came down to Boston’s center depth, where, beyond Patrice Bergeron (who had an incredible defensive season capturing his fifth Selke Trophy), there were no other options for the top six. It led to the team breaking up ‘The Perfection Line’ of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak, and throwing Pastrnak with Taylor Hall on the second line to compensate for the lack of a strong center. Health also played a role in the team just not feeling quite themselves, with only Charlie Coyle playing all 82 games, along with what we now know about the falling out between head coach Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins locker room.</p>



<p>They didn’t address the hole in the top six at the deadline, and instead opted to improve an already strong blueline by trading for Hampus Lindholm, which proved to be costly in the playoffs with their hard-fought seven game series against the Carolina Hurricanes. They were a tough out for the Canes, but they just couldn’t quite match up with them in the end, even when Carolina was without its starting goaltender Frederik Andersen. </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="186"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>KEY ADDITIONS &amp; DEPARTURES</strong></h2>



<p><strong>Additions</strong></p>



<p>David Krejci, C<br>Pavel Zacha, C<br>Keith Kinkaid, G<br>Vinni Lettieri, C<br>Connor Carrick, D</p>



<p><strong>Departures</strong></p>



<p>Erik Haula, C (NJ)<br>Curtis Lazar, C (Van)<br>Anton Blidh, LW (Col)<br>Josh Brown, D (Ari)</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-offense"><strong>OFFENSE</strong></h2>



<p>As mentioned before, the Bruins had a couple holes in their top six, which led to mediocre offensive numbers throughout the season, including ranking 15th in the league in goals for per game with 3.09, 11th in 5-on-5 expected goals per 60 minutes, and the 15th ranked power play at 21.2 percent. They had some strong seasons from their big stars, with 80 points in 70 games from Marchand, 77 in 72 from Pastrnak, 65 in 73 from Bergeron, and 61 in 81 for Hall, but beyond that, they just had three 40-point scorers and one 30-point scorer up front.</p>



<p>They solved some of that problem when they put Jake DeBrusk on the top line with Marchand and Bergeron, making him an option on the left and right wing when they need it. All that leaves is the second line center, which hopefully will be solved with the return of David Krejci. He put up 46 points in 51 games in Czechia last year and even had four points in four games at the Olympics, so the offensive flair is still there, and playing with at least one of Marchand, Pastrnak, and Hall should help get him adjusted quickly. The biggest concern is that, given he’s 36 years old, you don’t know when age will catch up to Krejci.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="245"></div>



<p>And then there’s the health concerns to start the season. The Bruins will be without Marchand and Charlie McAvoy (who had 56 points in 78 games from the blueline) for the first couple months of the season, a huge hit to the top end of their lineup. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bruins don’t start to click offensively until both players are back and the full lineup establishes some chemistry with Krejci back in the fold as well. Once they do, that will be a dangerous top six, which will also make their depth of players like Coyle, Pavel Zacha, and Craig Smith even better as they play in more sheltered roles.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>DEFENSE</strong></h2>



<p>As long as Patrice Bergeron is on this team, the Bruins will always be a high-end defensive squad. He seems to get better with age, as last season he put up some of the best defensive numbers of not just his career, but some of the best ever seen since the sport started recording shot attempts and expected goals. That helped the Bruins to the fourth fewest goals against per game with 2.66, the fewest expected goals against per 60 at even strength with 1.93, and the ninth-ranked penalty kill at 81.3 percent. His ability to match up against any player and give them hell is a huge value to the team, an impact that really only compares to Connor McDavid’s offensive impact and Auston Matthew’s goal scoring. Bergeron makes life easier not just for his linemates, but the rest of the lineup, as teams are too focused on avoiding him, and that gives Boston’s depth players much easier matchups.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="273"></div>



<p>If there’s one concern with Bergeron in 2022-23, it’s that two of his biggest partners in crime, Marchand and McAvoy, will be out to start the season, so he might not be <em>quite </em>as good as he was last season, but it’s hard to see him struggling this year unless Father Time finally finds him. The fact that the Bruins still have strong play-drivers up front in Pastrnak, DeBrusk, and Smith means there’s still no shortage of players to complement Bergeron.</p>



<p>The same can’t quite be said for McAvoy on the back end, especially when Matt Grzelcyk is also out for the start of the season. Those two are crucial defensive contributors on the back end for Boston, and while the Bruins are still solid on the blueline, it takes a huge hit with both of them gone. It will certainly be a big test for Lindholm, locked in with the team for the next eight years. He struggled with the Anaheim Ducks for the past few seasons but saw improvement once he joined the Bruins after the deadline. If he can return to form as a top defensive defenseman in the league, it will be huge for the Bruins to start the season. Brandon Carlo, Mike Reilly, and Derek Forbort will also have to step up in their absence, but with that as a top four, the team should probably stay afloat until McAvoy and Grzelcyk return.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="238"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>GOALTENDING</strong></h2>



<p>The one area that the Bruins won’t have to worry about health-wise to start the season is in the crease. Boston will turn to its second year with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in net, and so long as the Bruins can play strong defense in front of them, they should be able to hold down the fort. Both goalies had solid numbers at the surface with Swayman sporting a .914 save percentage and Ullmark a .917, but their underlying numbers indicated they benefitted from an elite Bruins defense, with the duo allowing 3.66 and 8.56 goals above expected, respectively.</p>



<p>Swayman probably has the better chance of the two to replace the team’s former starter Tuukka Rask in the long run, with a career .920 save percentage at just 23. Swayman also ended up with the team’s trust in the playoffs, winning the crease with strong performances in Games 3 and 4 after Ullmark struggled in Games 1 and 2. That said, Ullmark’s career is nothing to scoff at, with only one season below a .913 save percentage, with all but last season spent on the Buffalo Sabres (the fact that he had a .917 on that 2020-21 squad is insane). I’d imagine they won’t have to hide behind the Bruins defense as much this season will and give the team a tough decision as to who they’ll have to start if they make the postseason.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="236"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>COACHING</strong></h2>



<p>Coaching might have been the biggest offseason change for the Bruins, as they let go of Cassidy and replaced him with Jim Montgomery. From a pure results standpoint, it’s probably a bit of a downgrade, as Cassidy maintained the Bruins’ ability to be a top play-driving team and was excellent with his deployment of players, especially when it came to matching up against teams in the playoffs. But, a lot has been made about how he lost the locker room these past couple seasons, and considering that his firing likely played a role in keeping DeBrusk and Bergeron, and getting Krejci back, that probably makes it a net win.</p>



<p>That’s not to say that Montgomery is a huge step back, just that Cassidy will be a tough act to follow. Montgomery has had success in the NHL though, coaching the Dallas Stars to a 60-43-10 record in the season and a half he was with them, including a surprising second-round appearance in his lone playoff run with the team. The real question is that, with this being the supposed “last dance” for this core with Bergeron and Krejci getting old and Pastrnak on the final year of his cheap contract, is Montgomery the guy to coach them to a Cup win?</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="6" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="211"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ROOKIES</strong></h2>



<p>The problem with being a team that’s been as consistently dominant over the past 10+ years like the Bruins have been is that it does take a bit of a toll on your draft capital, especially if you trade some of it to bring in pieces at the trade deadline, the draft, or later in the offseason. It also doesn’t help that the Bruins struggled to hit on the few picks they’ve had recently (Barzal, Connor, and Chabot…oops, that should read Zboril, DeBrusk and Senyshyn), as not a single player from the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 drafts have played a single game in the NHL. Those draft picks are still young, but the fact that not a single player has played a game, even the ones that are out of their system, is not a good look.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="7" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="138"></div>



<p>That said, there are still a couple decent options in Boston’s pool, and they will certainly get a chance to make the lineup with those early injuries, although if they can’t by the time Marchand, McAvoy, and Grzelcyk return, it’s hard to see any rookie making an impact this season for Boston. One that could maybe get a shot is their 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell. He’s got the skating for the NHL game, and he made a habit of deking and dangling to make his way up the ice, leading to a 22-goal, 62-point season in 53 games with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. Whether the latter will be translatable to the NHL, we’ll have to see, but the former is a good indication that he could at least impress in training camp and fill the void of Marchand early on. Even if it’s just for the nine game stint before his entry-level slides, he could get a quick trial before going back to the WHL. The summer edition of the World Junior Championship has given him a nice showcase, as he has looked impressive playing for Sweden.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="8" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="188"></div>



<p>If they’d prefer a more mature option, Jack Studnicka is part of the last Bruins draft class that has played NHL games, and at 23 years old, this is probably his make-or-break season, especially if he can fill the Marchand void early on. He hasn’t made too much noise in his 37 NHL games, but he may want to soon if he wants to be an everyday NHLer. He’s probably the Bruins’ most NHL-ready prospect, so if they want to go the young route, he’s probably their best option. It’s just a matter of if Studnicka is capable of it at a key point in his career. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>BURNING QUESTION</strong>S</h2>



<p><strong>1. Will the Bruins survive early on without Marchand, McAvoy, and Grzelcyk?</strong> This could make or break the Bruins season. They still have Bergeron, Pastrnak, Hall, and Krejci up front, but the blueline will be slightly weaker early on, and with Detroit and Ottawa making big moves in the offseason, that wild card race could be a lot tighter than last season’s was. I still have faith in this group, especially Bergeron, to best Ottawa and Detroit’s improved, but still flawed, teams, but the Bruins probably aren’t going to have a 23 -oint cushion to lean back on this time.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="9" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="208"></div>



<p><strong>2. Can Lindholm return to the form he was earlier in his career?</strong> At his best, Lindholm was a top shutdown defender in this league, but he hasn’t quite been the same in the past few seasons. He saw improvement with the Bruins, but was that due to playing a better team, especially with McAvoy, or was he this defenseman all along, but not surrounded by talent in Anaheim, possibly even dealing with low morale on a basement team? The Bruins paid a big price to acquire him, and locked him up long term as well, so they’d best hope he is, and what better way to find out than with McAvoy out to start the season.</p>



<p><strong>3. Which version of Jake DeBrusk shows up?</strong> The maddeningly inconsistent DeBrusk had seven goals in 38 games before the All-Star break and 18 goals in 39 games after it. Boston badly needs ‘Good DeBrusk,’ especially while Marchand is out. After rescinding his trade request following Cassidy’s firing, perhaps DeBrusk will deliver his best season yet with a clearer head.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="10" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="177"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>PREDICTION</strong></h2>



<p>Last season, the Bruins were a competitive team capable of winning a Cup, and that was without a true second-line center. They’ve hopefully improved on that bringing back Krejci, so it’s hard to see them falling off, even with the injuries to start the year and the team’s older core being a year older. But that window is very close to closing, and with Detroit and Ottawa making some noise in the offseason, it might be a tighter race to the playoffs, never mind the Cup. There’s been talk of this season being their “last dance” for a reason, this team might be on its last legs.</p>



<p>Ultimately, I think they might have a slow start with the injuries and Krejci re-adjusting to the NHL, making things interesting for other Atlantic teams early on, but once the whole team is back, it’ll be mostly smooth sailing to the playoffs. The Cup will be much tougher to reach, especially considering their division contains a Tampa Bay team in the midst of a pseudo-dynasty, a Florida team riding the wave of their best ever season, and a Toronto team ready to explode once it exorcises its first round demons.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="11" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="197"></div>



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