2013-14 Season Preview – Boston Bruins

LAST SEASON

Regular Season:  The Bruins didn’t have the dominant season that many expected, finishing second in the Northeast, a point behind the Canadiens.  They went into the playoffs with the 4th seed.

Playoffs: After surviving a scare at the hands of the Maple Leafs with a game 7 comeback for the ages, the Bruins then got on a roll and win 8 of their next 9 games.  They beat the Rangers in 5 and swept the Penguins to get to the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins had a 2-1 series lead before dropping three straight to fall to the Blackhawks in 6 games.  In game 6 it looked like Boston was going to force a game 7, leading 2-1 with less than 2 minutes left. Boston allowed 2 goals in the last 75 second to give the Stanley Cup to the Hawks.

Jun 24, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center

(36) celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period in game six of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

CHANGES

Out: F Tyler Seguin, F Rich Peverley, F Nathan Horton, F Jaromir Jagr, F Kaspars Daugavins, F Jay Pandolfo, D Andrew Ference, D Wade Redden, G Anton Khudobin

In: F Jarome Iginla, F Loui Eriksson, G Chad Johnson

Ready To Make The Jump: F Ryan Spooner

BIG 3 FACTORS

1. Young D: The Bruins lost a couple of veteran blueliners, and didn’t replace them from outside the organization.  That means the quick learning curve of Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski will become steeper as they will likely be full timers this season.

2. Eriksson :  Eriksson was relatively anonymous in Dallas, and people in the East might be surprised at how good he is in all facets of the game.  The trade-off for Seguin long-term might not be in the Bruins’ best interest, but to win now, it was a good deal.

3. Money Money Money:  The Bruins committed big time to Tuukka Rask (8yrs, $56M) and Patrice Bergeron (8 yrs, $52M kicking in after this season), and they have 7 players making $5M or more.  Spending doesn’t guarantee a championship, but it gives you a better chance.

PROGNOSIS: The Bruins made the finals last year based on depth up front and solid goaltending.  How much will the Bruins miss Horton, who was a solid top-liner.  Eriksson is an upgrade on what Seguin gave them in the playoffs, but they aren’t quite as deep as they were last year.  But still dominant.

PREDICTION:  1st Atlantic Division

We have been a previewing every NHL team ahead of Training Camp which for most teams will begin on Sept 11th.  With this being the final one.  You can click on a team to read the preview that we wrote for each club.