Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2014-15, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from arou
nd the
NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2014-15 Stanley Cup pick. You can check out all our articles on our Puck Drop Page. Today we kick things off with the Atlantic Division, and the Boston Bruins.
Last Season:
The Boston Bruins had one of the franchise’s best records in 2013-2014, ending the season by capturing the Presidents Trophy as the league’s best team. They finished the season with 117 points with a record of 54-19-9. In comparison to the Bruins 1970-1971 season, which was the Bruins best season in franchise history, they tallied 121 points with a record of 57-14-7. It was an all-around great regular season for the Bruins, however there were some doubts before 2013-14 began.
Firstly, many Bruins fans resented the blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith. Though Eriksson is known to be an underrated player, some couldn’t bear the fact that the Bruins gave up on the young superstar that is Seguin. At the end of the day, however, Smith had a breakout season, scoring 20 goals and tallying 31 assists for a total of 51 points, which is Smith’s best NHL season to date.
Eriksson’s season was not as good, however, as he was injured twice last season, both resulting in concussions. It ended up being one of Eriksson’s worst seasons, though you can’t blame him for the games he missed due to his injuries.
Secondly, many fans began to panic when it became apparent that Nathan Horton was not going to re-sign with the Bruins. Horton signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets was a major loss for Boston. After spending three seasons with the Bruins and appearing in two of the teams Cup runs, Horton became a fan favorite. The Bruins knew they had to fill the void left by Horton’s departure with somebody that played similar to him. And who other than Jarome Iginla?
The Bruins signed Iginla to a one-year, bonus heavy deal with the hopes that he could provide the same as Horton. Iginla did just that. Iginla posted 30 goals and 31 assists for a total of 61 points. When comparing Iginla’s stats to Horton’s in the 2010-2011 season, Iginla had 4 more goals and 4 more assists for a total of 8 more points. Not to mention, Iginla played fewer games than Horton as well.
It wasn’t just Smith and Iginla who surprised many last season, however Carl Soderberg provided more than what was expected of him. Soderberg scored 16 goals and contributed to 32 assists for a total of 48 points in the season. He ranked 7th among all Bruins players in points.
However, for all their positive personnel moves and for all their regular season success, things didn’t turn out so well for Boston in the playoffs. After dispatching the Detroit Red Wings in a relatively easy five-game first round series, the Bruins met up with hated rival Montreal in round two. With a 3-2 series lead, the Bruins couldn’t get it done in games six or seven, scoring just one combined goal in both games against Montreal netminder Carey Price, and again found themselves out of the playoffs earlier than they had hoped, after reaching the Stanley Cup final the previous year.
Puck Drop Preview: 2014-2015 Boston Bruins
Offseason Changes:
Though many teams have gone through various changes this offseason, the Bruins have pretty much kept quiet. The Bruins don’t have a whole lot of room to make additions. In fact, the majority of changes for the Bruins this offseason have been players leaving. Those players include Iginla, Shawn Thornton, Chad Johnson, and Corey Potter. And thanks to Iginla’s bonus heavy contract from the 2013-2014 season, the Bruins currently remain above the cap limit by $809,143, making it burdensome to find replacements.
In addition to that, the Bruins are finding it difficult to negotiate a new contract with restricted free-agents Torey Krug and Reilly Smith due to Iginla’s bonuses, forcing the Bruins to make a trade to relieve cap space.
Another notable change this offseason for the Bruins was the sudden departure of assistant coach Geoff Ward. Ward decided to leave his position as the assistant coach of the Bruins to become the head coach of Adler Mannheim, a hockey team based in Germany. It was tough to see Ward leave for many, as he was the assistant coach for the Bruins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2011. In response to Ward leaving, the Bruins hired Joe Sacco, former head coach of the Colorado Avalanche who was most recently an assistant in Buffalo.
2014-2015 Lineup Projections:
This 2014-2015 lineup is just a projection. After all, it is expected that the Bruins are going to make a trade, so the chance of this lineup being exact is not likely.
Milan Lucic – David Krejci – Loui Eriksson
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Reilly Smith
Daniel Paille – Carl Soderberg – Chris Kelly
Ryan Spooner – Gregory Campbell – Jordan Caron
Zdeno Chara – Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Seidenberg – Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug – Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Niklas Svedberg
Players To Watch:
- Kevan Miller: Considered as one of the Bruins up-and-coming young defenseman, Miller will be working hard to become a regular in Boston this season. Last season, due to Dennis Seidenberg’s season-ending injury, Miller found himself getting a good amount of ice-time. He might find it hard to get ice-time this upcoming season considering all of the Bruins defenseman are healthy, however if there’s a trade and/or a spot opens up, Miller will be the first guy called.
- Jordan Caron: This upcoming season is ultimately Caron’s last chance to prove he’s worthy of wearing the Spoked B. Unfortunately, Caron’s name is often tied-up with a notion of underperformance. Being drafted 25th overall in the 2009 NHL draft, many people had high expectations, ones that Caron has yet to accomplish. Caron received his first one-way contract from the Bruins this offseason. It’s a one-year contract, concluding that he has a lot to prove in a short time frame if he wants to stay in Boston.
- Niklas Svedberg: For years now, the Bruins have always had an impressive goaltending duo. Some of the Bruins previous backup goaltenders include Anton Kudobin, Chad Johnson, and current Bruins starting goaltender and 2014 Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask. It’ll be interesting to see if Svedberg can continue the tradition of great goaltending tandems.
On The Rise:
- Dougie Hamilton
- Torey Krug
- Carl Soderberg
When it comes to players that are expected to have a breakout season, Dougie Hamilton, Krug, and Soderberg are notable thoughts. Hamilton played only his second season in the NHL last year, and he ended up being one of the Bruins best defenders. The Bruins relied heavily on Hamilton, especially due to the loss of Seidenberg. As a result, Hamilton’s time on ice was increased. He averages 19:06, which is only six seconds under what Nashville defender Shea Weber’s time on ice was in his second year in the NHL. Next season, Hamilton will continue to grow as a player, and you can expect him to be an elite defender in the next few years.
The next player on the uprise is Krug. Last season was Krug’s first season in the NHL, and he had one of the best seasons a rookie offensive-defenseman could have. In 79 games, Krug scored 14 goals and tallied 26 assists for a total of 40 points. He was extremely impressive last season, and he also proved to be the most important asset to the Bruins powerplay, a powerplay which has been at the bottom of the league the past few years.
Finally we come to Soderberg. Last season was Soderberg’s first full season in the NHL, and he completely shattered any of the doubters. Soderberg, who was first thought of as a fill-in player, became one of the best contributors for the Bruins. He ended the season ranking 7th among all Bruins players in points.
On The Decline:
- Zdeno Chara
- Loui Eriksson
- Adam McQuaid
When it comes to players that are expected to decline next season, Zdeno Chara, Loui Eriksson, and Adam McQuaid are notable potentials. Chara is entering the last lustrum of his career. He’s consistently been a dominant force in the NHL from day one, and continues to be today. In addition to that, Chara was also nominated for the Norris Memorial Trophy in the 2014 NHL awards. With that being said, at 37-years-old (and turning 38 in March), age is catching up to Chara, and it’s becoming apparent.
Mainly because of Chara’s dominance and physicality, he’s able to take on a large amount of time on ice. As he ages, however, fatigue, which is often portrayed as a turnover, becomes a factor in how much Chara can continue to play. This is not to say that Chara isn’t a good player, because that’s completely inaccurate, however it’s unenlightened to overlook the signs of Chara’s decline.
Eriksson is one of the most underrated players in the NHL, even though he’s proved time after time that he’s capable of being a star. However, suffering two concussions in a year could be a major set-back for the future. It’s very possible that Eriksson will still be a valuable member of the Bruins, however don’t rule out the possibility that those two concussions could set him back for a few years.
The next player on the decline is Adam McQuaid. It’s tough to be a defenseman in the Bruins organization. There is so much defensive depth that it can be hard to secure a spot on the roster. McQuaid is dealing with that situation right now. McQuaid is a fan favorite in Boston for one reason: his grit. He’s not a goon, because he can play defense. However, so can many of the Bruins young-guns in Providence.
The Bruins management has always done a good job at integrating rookies into the system, and now is the time that management starts feeding rookie defenders the minutes the veteran defenders previously had. In addition to that, McQuaid is a liability. Although McQuaid is a team-first type of player, you can’t necessarily depend on him. McQuaid has suffered many injuries in his career, and those injuries have set him back a long way. At this point, McQuaid is essentially trade-bait.
2014-2015 Season Expectations:
The Boston Bruins will enter this upcoming season with the disappointing Game 7 loss to their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, still fresh in their minds. It’s a loss that the team will not be able to cope with until they get their vengeance. A piece of that vengeance is definitely dominating the Canadiens every time the two meet up, however the picture is much more painted than that. The Bruins were embarrassed to be knocked out in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They had a team that, had they conquered the Canadiens, would likely be Stanley Cup champions.
The goal to be Cup champions will carry on into this season followed by an extreme desire to demolish any team that stands in their way. The Bruins roster will look a little different next season, however it’s still likely that the team will succeed. Most of the players filling voids are familiar with the organization and what the expectations are. The Bruins Stanley Cup window is not closed.
Up next in Puck Drop Preview: The Buffalo Sabres.
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