By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
In a retooling season, the Boston Bruins’ potential can only be so high. The organization-wide reset will place a natural ceiling on chemistry and other areas of the game. The youth of the Bruins, as well as the experienced players, will make plenty of mistakes as part of the reinstallation of the Bruins’ culture.
However, with a solid amount of talent still spread around the lineup, the Bruins still could surprise fans this season. Just as there are reasons to predict a mostly negative outcome this season for the team, there are reasons to argue for bright spots. Until the puck drops on opening night, it is wise to go through either situation as one prepares for the season.
The Bruins’ biggest weakness to start is clearly a general lack of scoring talent. Beyond the first line with David Pastrnak, the other lines rely more on collective chemistry than on any one player’s specific skill. Pastrnak will be relied on more heavily this season, with the expectation of full health and consistent execution through all 82 games.
Natural playmakers like Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt will be called on to step a little out of their element and shoot the puck more often. Head Coach Marco Sturm will be tasked with making this transition for secondary players both accommodating to their preferences and conducive to maximizing team success. This scoring weakness can only be lessened by an all-in chemistry that maintains its intensity every game night.
With such similar styles among the collective unit behind the top line, they also pave the way for the Bruins’ top projected strength going into the season, which is a cohesive physical energy. In addition to having playmakers in the last three lines, the Bruins also have a strong group of persistent forecheckers like Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly, and Mark Kastelic.
This dynamic, with the right influence from Sturm, can blend with the defensive core to create a ticking clock in the minds of opposing players. This only has so high of a ceiling, but if it remains a consistent factor, a last wild card spot would not be unrealistic down the line. This would obviously be easier said than done.
In any sport, the hardest thing to do is to reach the ceiling of what one is capable of. The Bruins’ scoring weakness will most likely remain throughout the season, but training camp and season preparation are where things can change.
As the Bruins’ practices become more demanding under the new coach, one should expect the effort to be there more consistently on a nightly basis. The training camp-to-daily practice routine is critical to instilling a different energy in the team that can carry into the season. If the players buy into the new philosophy from Sturm, the collective could be greater than the sum of its parts, and the scoring weakness could be overshadowed.
I agree. Way too many Bruins fans are overtly negative and fail to see they will be much better defensively as a team and should give up less goals so they won’t have to score as much. They may struggle to score but if they aren’t giving up goals in bushels it shouldn’t hurt them as much. I have them as a 88-90 point team just shy of a Playoff spot ( or just getting the final wild card).