Boston Bruins NHL 16 Dynasty thread

[shanev]

The Boston Bruins announced today that defense man Zdeno Chara has decided to retire from the National Hockey League. The 39 year old played 18 seasons, including 10 in Boston, winning the Norris trophy in 2009, and the Stanley Cup in 2011. In his peak, Chara was one of the most dominating defenders in the league, finishing in the top 5 in Norris voting 8 times. He was one of the largest men ever to play, and was an intimidating physical presence that had the puck skills of a much smaller man. He will likely be voted into the Boston sports hall of fame, and has a very good chance of making the hockey hall of fame as well.

[shanev]

The Boston Bruins today announced that they have come to terms with free agent Milan Lucic. Lucic is expected to sign a four year deal with Boston for 17 million dollars. Boston also announced that they have re-signed free agents Torey Krug, Seth Griffith, and Joe Morrow.

In other NHL news, Buffalo singed defenseman Mark Giordano to a 5 year contract, and the Florida Panthers came to terms with free agent goaltender Brayden Holtby.

[shanev]

Bruins 2016-17 Season Preview

After missing the playoffs in 2014-5 season, the Boston Bruins spent the off-season re-tooling their roster; transitioning to a younger, fresher offense. What happened last year was surprising; the team found some traction and gelled into a playoff contender. But the steam ran out quickly, as Boston was bounced in the first round by the Florida Panthers in seven games.

The first news of the off-season hit the roster hard, when defenseman, and captain, Zdeno Chara announced that he was going to retire from the NHL. Chara has been an anchor on the Bruins blue line for 10 seasons, and his leadership will be sorely missed.

General Manager Don Sweeney didn't waste any time in looking for a replacement, when just days later at the NHL entry draft, he made two bold trades to revamp his roster yet again. First he traded a prospect and 2 first round draft picks to move up and pick Jakob Chychrun 2nd overall, and then traded him, with prospect Sam Bennett and right winger Jimmy Hayes to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Tyler Myers, and first line winger Blake Wheeler. It was a move that made a statement that the Bruins were planning to contend sooner rather than later for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Boston also took care of its restricted free agents, signing Torey Krug, Seth Griffith, and Colin Miller to multi-year contacts. The Bruins brought back veteran center Chris Kelly for two more years to man the fourth line and kill penalties; then they made another splash in free agency, re-signing left winger Milan Lucic to a four year contract.

Veteran center man Patrice Bergeron was named captain of the team, and with Bergeron and David Krejci anchoring the top two lines, a revamped defense, and perennial Vezina contender Tuukka Rask manning the nets, Boston should find themselves in the mix again this year.


Roster Moves:

Additions: Blake Wheeler (trade), Tyler Myers (trade), and Milan Lucic (UFA).

Subtractions: Zdeno Chara (retirement), Jimmy Hayes (trade), and Loui Eriksson (UFA)

[shanev]

Newly appointed team captain Patrice Bergeron leads the Bruins into the 2016-17 NHL season.

[shanev]

2016-7 Starting Lineups:

Boston Bruins Depth Chart - 2016
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LW	Milan Lucic	Brad Marchand	Matt Beleskey	Zac Rinaldo
C	David Krejci	Patrice Bergeron	Ryan Spooner	Chris Kelly
RW	Blake Wheeler	David Pastranak	Seth Griffith	Tyler Randell
D #1	Torey Krug	Dennis Seidenberg	Joe Morrow
D #2	Tyler Myers	Colin Miller	Adam McQuaid
G	Tuukka Rask	Zane McIntyre

[shanev]

NHL Standings - Updated: Nov 1, 2016
ATLANTIC	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA
Boston Bruins	8	2	1	17	39	22
Toronto Maple Leafs	8	2	1	17	33	27
Tampa Bay Lightning	7	1	2	16	32	21
Florida Panthers	7	3	0	14	22	24
Buffalo Sabres	5	3	3	13	29	25

After a month of play, the Boston Bruins find themselves tied for first in the Atlantic Division, with an 8-2-1 record. Boston is getting contributions from all three lines, with the top line of David Krejci, Blake Wheeler, and Milan Lucic leading the way with a combined 24 points in the first 11 games.
Defenseman Colin Miller and Torey Krug are pacing a revamped defense that is focused on puck movement and transition. But leading the charge is goaltender Tuukka Rask, who with a 6-1-1 record and a .926 save percentage, had been nearly unbeatable in the first month of the year.

Around the NHL: The Bruins are atop the East, but even with Toronto, and Tampa trailing by just a point with a game in hand. Out west, the San Jose Sharks are off to an 8-3 start, with Winnipeg and Nashville just 2 points behind the pace.
Daniel Sedin is leading all scorers, with 15 points in his first 11 games. The Coyotes Dylan Strome is the early Calder candidate, with 13 points in his first 12 games.

Results:
October 9, 2016: Boston 5, Washington 2
October 10, 2016: Boston 3, Philadelphia 1
October 12, 2016: Boston 5, Dallas 0

"Tuukka Rask with the shut out tonight to get Boston their third straight victory, great start from the former Vezina winner", Jack Edwards

October 15, 2016: Boston 1, Florida 2 (SOL)
October 16, 2016: Boston 0, Florida 3

"Braden Holtby continues to stymie the Boston Bruins despite switching uniforms this off-season, shuts out Boston to take four points in home and home series", Pierre MacGuire

October 19, 2016: Boston 6, NY Rangers 1
October 20, 2016: Boston 5, Tampa Bay 3
October 23, 2016: Boston 4, Buffalo 3 (OT)

"That's three straight for Boston, as David Krejci nets the OT winner to beat the Sabres 4-3", Dale Arnold

October 26, 2016: Boston 2, Detroit 4
October 29, 2016: Boston 5, New Jersey 4 (SOW)
October 30, 2016: Boston 4, Colorado 0

"Zane McIntyre with his first NHL shutout, as Boston beats the Avalanche 4-0 on all Hallow's Eve at TD Garden", Jack Edwards

[shanev]

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Dec 1, 2016
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Martin Hanzal	14		1. Kyle Okposo	21
	2. Rick Nash	13		2. Ryan Getzlaf	20
	3. Thomas Vanek	13		3. Nicklas Backstrom	19
	4. Alex Ovechkin	12		4. Connor McDavid	18
	5. Steven Stamkos	12		5. Patrick Kane	17
Points		PT	Penalty Minutes		PIM
	1. Patrick Kane	29		1. Kyle Clifford	68
	2. Kyle Okposo	27		2. Dylan McIlrath	67
	3. Martin Hanzal	26		3. Adam McQuaid	58
	4. Ryan Getzlaf	25		4. Clayton Stoner	52
	5. John Tavares	24		5. Brandon Prust	51

The Boston Bruins continued to dominate the competition throughout the month of November, with a 9-2-1 record in the month, Boston is atop the Eastern Conference with 36 points, holding a 5 point edge in their division, and two points ahead of the NY Islanders and Rangers with games in hand.
Boston is being led in points by center Patrice Bergeron, who has 21 points in the team's first 23 games. Goaltender Tuukka Rask has been red hot, with 3 more shutouts in the month of November, he improved to 14-3-2 on the year, and has a minuscule 1.64 goals against average. Rask is leading the NHL in wins, goals against, and shutouts at the quarter mark.

Around the NHL:
While the Bruins lead the Northeast, the two New York teams are battling for the top spot in the Metro Division. Both teams are tied with 34 points, but the Isles hold the tiebreaker and also have a game in hand.
Out West, the surprise team is the Winnipeg Jets, who have a record of 17-5-1, with 35 points. The Jets stumbled badly last year and traded away two of their better players for future stars, but the team has come together and been playing great hockey, led by Jiri Hudler up front, a defense led by Enstrom and Byfuglien, and fantastic goal-tending from Ondrej Pavelec.

Monthly highlights:
November 10, 2016: Boston 8, Buffalo 0
David Krejci & Patrice Bergeron each scored twice, and Rask stopped 29 shots for his second shutout of the year.

November 13, 2016: Boston 4, Detroit 1
Bruins led by Blake Wheeler and Torey Krug beat the Red Wings convincingly

November 18, 2016: Boston 6, Toronto 1
Bruins manhandle the second place Maple Leafs, Torey Krug and Seth Griffith pace Boston with 3 point nights.

November 30, 2016: Boston 3, Minnesota 0
Tuukka Rask posts his second straight shutout, and 4th of the year, as Boston wins it's 6th straight game.

[shanev]

As we head into March, the Boston Bruins continue to be red hot, with an amazing 42-12-8 record, and a commanding lead in the Northeast Division, and the Eastern Conference. Patrice Bergeron is leading the team with 65 points in 62 games, and goaltender Tuukka Rask is putting up a solid Vezina campaign, and making a case for the Hart Trophy as well. With a 36-9-5 record, a 1.88 GAA, and 7 shutouts, no other goaltender in the league is close.

Boston has been riddled with injuries on the back end the past two months, losing Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid, and Colin Miller; but they have been able to get huge contributions from Providence regulars like Tommy Cross and Zach Trotman. Second year star Seth Griffith has already notched 20 goals again this year, after breaking out with a 21 goal year last season, he has become a staple on the right side of the Bergeron and Marchand pairing.

Rumors are that the Bruins are looking to add a veteran defenseman for the playoff run despite their success this year. Top candidate appears to be Andrei Markov from the rival MontreaL Canadiens. Markov is on the last year of his contract, and the 38 year old defenseman would love a final run at Lord Stanley's cup. Can the two longtime rivals work something out, that will remain to be seen.


Around the NHL:
With the Bruins entrenched in the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the battle is still on for the remaining seven positions. The Islanders and Rangers are near locks in the Atlantic, and then just 6 points separate fourth place from 10th place. Out West, the Predators and Blackhawks are on top, and the top 5 spots appear to be claimed, with a battle for the final three between 5 other teams.

While the Bruins are running away with the President's Trophy, winger Patrick Kane is doing the same with the league scoring race, with 34 goals and 85 points in just 63 games, Kane is throwback to the scoring age of the NHL this year.

The Calder race remains up for grabs, with the Isles Michael Dal Colle the odds on favorite with 16 goals and 54 points, the Coyotes Dylan Strome and Winnipeg's Nikolai Ehlers are still hanging around. Also goaltender Philipp Grubauer has been solid if not spectacular at times for the Capitals, with a 27-18-6 record and a 2.51 goals against.