Bruins Beat: Season Preview
Forwards
Although it feels like the Bruins made several big moves this offseason, there really is only one change to their forwards from where they ended last year - Tyler Toffoli is in and David Krejci is out. It was a tough decision for Don Sweeney and the Bruins brass to leave Krejci unprotected, and as a result he'll be playing this season for the Seattle Seals.
Many within the Bruins organization feel confident that Charlie Coyle is ready to become a top six forward, and he'll have the chance as he will anchor the second line with the aforementioned Toffoli and Jake DeBrusk as his linemates. The Bruins gave DeBrusk a modest extension as they wonder if this will be the year the young forward finally puts it all together and develops more consistency to his game. Without Krejci in the middle, they are going to need it.
Of course, moving Coyle to the second line has repercussions for the third line, and the team will initially begin with Sean Kuraly as the third line center. They tried this a few years ago and it failed miserably (one of the main reasons why the team acquired Coyle in the first place), but Kuraly is a few years older now and head coach Bruce Cassidy feels comfortable with him in this role - for now. He will be joined by Anders Bjork who, finally healthy, put together a solid season last year with the big club, and Ondrej Kase, last season's deadline acquisition.
That leaves the first and the fourth lines. There isn't much to say about the first line that hasn't already been said. The Perfection line, as some around these parts call it, is arguably the best line in hockey and feature the best goal scorer in the league in David Pastrnak. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand aren't getting any younger, however, so while the window isn't quite closing, there are only so many years left that the team will receive elite play from both. The fourth line will be anchored by Par Lindholm with Chris Wagner and Nick Ritchie on the wings - it could be an area needing an upgrade at some point in the season, especially if Kuraly is unable to cut it as the team's third line center.
Defense
The team returns the same starting six defenseman that they ended last season with, although the depth looks a bit different after several offseason moves. The top pair will once again be Zdeno Chara, who returned on another one-year deal, and Charlie McAvoy, who is starting to make his name known around the league as a true number one defenseman.
One of the biggest moves the team made in the offseason was resigning Torey Krug to a five-year contract. Krug has been an excellent second pair defenseman alongside Brandon Carlo and will continue to quarterback the powerplay. The Bruins also made a commitment to Carlo by protecting him, choosing to protect four defenseman rather than seven forwards.
The third pair will be Matt Grzelcyk and Jeremy Lauzon, at least to start the year. Some around the league pondered the Seals' decision to choose Krejci over Grzelcyk, who is viewed as an up and coming defenseman with high offensive upside. Lauzon played extremely well in his debut year last season, although he will likely be rotated in and out of the lineup with Connor Clifton.
Both John Moore and Kevan Miller were traded or release in the offseason, leaving Clifton as the 7th defenseman. Don't be surprised if youngster Urho Vaakanainen gets some looks at some point as well. The Finnish prospect was the subject of many trade talks this past offseason, but the Bruins had zero interest in moving him.
Goalies
Both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak return for the third straight season, and will likely receive an equal share of the duties with the team leaning on Rask a little more later in the year. Halak actually returned on a two-year deal, meaning it'll be the same setup next year. By then Rask will be 34 and Halak will be 36, however - as such, it's time for the Bs to start looking for their goaltender of the future sooner rather than later.