As the Bruins kick off their historic 100th season, fans doubt if it can be as monumental as No. 99.
Last year, after firing Bruce Cassidy, former head coach and current Stanley Cup champion with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Bruins made history when new head coach Jim Montgomery led them to a record-breaking 65 wins and 135 points. The season came to a disappointing end however, with the B’s losing to the Florida Panthers in overtime of Game 7 during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Montgomery took over a strong defensive team looking to improve offensively, upping goals-per-game while maintaining defensive stoutness. Though the team was successful last year, Montgomery’s strategy will be tested anew with the lack of a generational defensive center and a slew of free agent departures. This, coupled with the improvement of other teams in the conference and division, means the Bruins have their work cut out for them in the next few months.
Long-time Bruins Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, who manned the center positions on Boston’s top two lines, retired this summer, leaving holes in the offense. This season will definitely be one to watch, as it will be the Bruins’ first without Bergeron in 20 years. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi, and defensemen Dmirty Orlov and Connor Clifton also left during free agency, leaving the B’s vulnerable almost everywhere on the ice.
The B’s new captain is veteran left-wing Brad Marchand, who is expected to lead the front line with Pavel Zacha at center and David Pastrnak on the right. Marchand and Pastrnak have played together before; the ‘perfection line’ with Bergeron at center was extremely successful, so this year’s predicted front line already has chemistry. The Marchand-Zacha-Pastrnak trio was explored in training camp and looks likely.
A new player is making roster decisions for the bottom six forwards tough, bringing young energy to the now vacant center position. Nineteen-year-old Matt Poitras, the 54th pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, certainly made his mark in Sept. 24’s 3-0 preseason win over New York, scoring the first goal for the B’s seven minutes into the first period.
The Bruins signed free agents Milan Lucic and James van Riemsdyk, who are also vying for spots on the bottom six, although they are more likely than Poitras to make the final roster as veterans. Lucic returns to the Bruins, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2011, after eight seasons split between the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
The Bruins boast the league’s top goaltending tandem in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. However, expecting them to replicate the extraordinary numbers from the previous season is unrealistic. Ullmark’s 2022-23 regular season was ridiculous, with a 40-6-1 record, 1.89 goals-against average, and .938 save percentage. The Bruins allowed the fewest goals in the league last year and Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender. Expecting a repeat of last season is futile, especially considering Ullmark has never put up statistics that good in the past.
The Bruins still have plenty of depth left on the blue line though; Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are once again considered one of NHL’s best defensive corps, along with newly acquired free agent Kevin Shattenkirk rounding out the top six.
Tough games are expected this year against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. The first match up with the Panthers is Oct. 30—where the Bruins will look to redeem themselves from last year’s unfortunate loss.
The B’s kick off their historic 100th season on Wed. Oct. 11 at TD Garden, at 7:30 p.m. versus the Chicago Blackhawks.
