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By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter/X @jainchill_ryan
After a flurry of free agent signings on July 1st that tackled the pressing needs of the Boston Bruins, the depth chart for the 2024-25 season appears to be set, barring any surprises from General Manager Don Sweeney and the organization. With a little more than two months before the opening of Bruins training camp from Warrior Ice Arena, it’s time to dive into what that depth chart at the NHL level looks like, starting with the forward core:
Centers: Elias Lindholm, Charlie Coyle, Matthew Poitras, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Patrick Brown
With a gaping hole at first-line center, Sweeney went out and grabbed the biggest fish on the free agent market at the position, signing former Canuck Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, 7.75 million dollar deal. Lindholm, 29, will fill that need in a big way, playing a two-way style that fits Coach Jim Montgomery’s scheme.
With it looking like Pavel Zacha, who played center most of last season, will shift back to the wing alongside Lindholm and his fellow Czech David Pastrnak, the second-line pivot will likely be Charlie Coyle. In the first season without franchise icons Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Coyle set a career-high in goals with 25 and a career-high in points with 60 while playing in any situation asked of him. The Weymouth, MA, native is certainly suited for the top-six center role, as he showed last season.
The third-line center role is a little more in question. With three possible options, all of whom played in that role last season, Montgomery could go a plethora of ways with his deployments come October. Matthew Poitras is certainly the most intriguing option based on his upside and talent. Without playing a game in Providence, the 20-year-old debuted last season and thrived, recording 15 points in 33 games before falling victim to a shoulder injury in January that required surgery and sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Poitras will most definitely get a good look at camp, but if he does not end up with the role, it will likely be one of Trent Frederic or Morgan Geekie who gets such duties.
Johnny Beecher played most of 52 regular season games as the fourth-line center last season, which carried over into postseason play. In his rookie campaign, the former Michigan Wolverine scored seven goals and tallied three assists, winning 54.6% of his faceoffs. While he may have the inside track to the spot, the Bruins brought in more hard-nosed depth in the form of Mark Kastelic, who was acquired in the deal that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa back in June. Kastelic, a right shot, is a career 56.3% at the dot who tallied 10 points in 63 games playing in Ottawa’s bottom six.
With Beecher’s speed and sneaky scoring touch, it is possible that Kastelic is shifted to the wing and takes the occasional face-off or is deployed as a rotating piece onto that fourth line, a tactic that Montgomery and his staff liked to use last season. Another option for the role of “4C” is Patrick Brown, who appeared in 11 games last season for Boston, even cracking the lineup for game one against Florida. With the addition of Kastelic, Brown will most likely find himself in Providence to start the season, where he recorded 32 points in 42 games.
Left Wing: Brad Marchand, Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic, Max Jones
With the Bruins going out and getting a top-line center, Pavel Zacha can shift to the wing, where he has had his most production in a Bruins sweater. While playing wing alongside his fellow Czechs Krejci and Pastrnak, Zacha set a then-career high in every offensive statistic, scoring 21 goals and tallying 36 assists, good for 57 points. Last season, playing primarily center, he beat that, recording two more assists than the previous season, giving him a total of 59 points. Alongside one of the top goal scorers in the league and now having another scoring threat down the middle, Zacha is primed to break the 60-point total for the first time in his career.
As he has gotten older, Brad Marchand has developed into the heart and soul of the Boston Bruins. Being named franchise captain just a season ago, Marchand played the full 82 games, recording 67 points. Alongside Coyle, with whom he has developed great chemistry, Marchand will most certainly be locked into that second-line winger role. Still, depending on the play of that top line, he could see himself getting reps alongside Pastrnak and Lindholm.
Trent Frederic had a career year, setting new highs in goals (18), assists (22), and points (40). His hard-nosed play style has improved over the years, earning him more reps with guys such as Marchand. He makes the Bruins’ third line a lot tougher to play against with his ability to get under the skin of his opponents and make them pay on the scoresheet. The former Wisconsin Badger racked up 204 hits last season, good for the team lead in that category. Frederic also had a strong showing in the playoffs in round one against Toronto, scoring three goals in the Bruins’ seven-game series win over their division foe.
A new player for the third straight year will likely occupy the fourth-line left-wing spot. With Boston dealing Jakub Lauko to Minnesota at the draft, Sweeney went out and got tougher, signing Max Jones from Anaheim. Jones, drafted 24th overall back in 2016, is a tough player to play against, recording 127 hits last season. He will be a great fit for the Bruins’ fourth line, as he brings an element of physicality that the Bruins’ fourth line lacked last season until the addition of Pat Maroon at the deadline.
Right Wing: David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Justin Brazeau
What has to be said about David Pastrnak that hasn’t already been said? One of the most gifted goal scorers in the National Hockey League is the top guy in Boston, and he loves it. His ability to create plays out of nothing, drive a line, and score from any angle while making it look effortless is unmatched by almost the entire league. Now, with him having a bonafide two-way top-six centerman with a right shot alongside him, the only question for the man they call “Pasta” is whether he exceeds the 50-goal plateau for the second time in his career. Most people would certainly say he will.
The second-line right-wing spot is uncertain regarding the Bruins’ forward core. With Jake DeBrusk departing for Vancouver on a 38.5 million dollar deal across seven years and Danton Heinen following suit, Boston will have some decisions to make out of camp regarding who they feel fits best for that role. If the Bruins want to trust what they have and what worked last season, Morgan Geekie would be their choice.
While not necessarily the flashy option, Geekie set a career-high in every counting stat, scoring 17 goals and recording 22 assists in 76 games, and scored four goals in the postseason for Boston. He also saw an uptick in ice time in Boston, recording nearly five minutes more on average than in Seattle the previous season. However, his play style and talents might be best suited alongside Frederic and Poitras on the third line, where he started last season.
If Geekie is slotted on the third line, that second line is up for the taking. Out of the players making their push to crack the NHL roster out of camp, the two headliners are Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov. Lysell, drafted in the first round by Boston in 2021, is the Bruins’ top prospect, getting that distinction with his speed and scoring ability. Lysell was nearly a point per game playing this past season in the AHL, scoring 50 points in 56 games.
There certainly was a jump in his game in the second half of the season after receiving criticism from Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued Lysell during his time in the Bruins system, causing him to miss time in both seasons in the AHL. However, based on Lysell’s performance down the stretch, Sweeney stated in a press conference in Las Vegas before the draft that he would have given the Swedish native a look with the big club at the end of the season if it was not for an injury.
On the contrary, Merkulov does have NHL experience under his belt when he made his NHL debut in December of 2023 against New Jersey. While failing to record a point over his four games in Boston, the former Ohio State Buckeye certainly made the most out of his season in Providence. He scored 30 goals and 35 assists in 67 games, falling just under the point-per-game mark. His numbers were good for fifth in the AHL in scoring and second in rookie scorers, trailing Mavrik Bourque of the Texas Stars.
The battle between Merkulov and Lysell will certainly be intriguing, as both have strengths that could translate to the NHL level. Merkulov’s NHL stint was uneventful, but that can be chalked up to the deployments of Montgomery, who placed the talented goal scorer in a bottom-six role. As for Lysell’s injury history and “do it yourself” playstyle hasn’t earned him a look with the big club, but this may be his chance to do so.
Moving down to the fourth line, Kastelic, who may be shifted to wing, will have some competition for that spot with Justin Brazeau. With much documentation about his crazy hockey career, which included long stints in both the AHL and ECHL, Brazeau was signed to an NHL contract in February. He immediately made an impact, with his first goal in his first NHL game against Dallas on President’s Day. The 6’5” Ontario native scored five goals in 19 games to close the season despite missing time with an injury.
When he recovered from such injury, he was put into the lineup in the postseason, even getting an assist on the tying goal in game seven against Toronto from Hampus Lindholm. Brazeau would also tally a break-away goal against Florida in game one for his first career playoff goal. His blend of physicality, strong forechecking ability, and sweet hands makes him a solid bottom-six option. Still, you wonder if the Bruins coaching staff would opt for even more physicality, plus the faceoff ability that someone like Kastelic would bring. Brazzeau will likely get his fair share of playing time this season and continue to wow with the blend of skills he brings to the table.
Great work, Ryan! Really thorough work. Go Broons!