The puck drops on the 2024-25 NHL season in only a few weeks, which implies coaching camps across the league are about to start.
The Boston Bruins will open their camp Wednesday at Warrior Ice Enviornment in Brighton, Mass., as they put together for the upcoming marketing campaign.
Expectations stay excessive for the Bruins. They gained a playoff sequence final season for the primary time since 2021, however for the second straight 12 months, their postseason journey was ended by the Florida Panthers.
The B’s have been busy within the offseason. They made a splash in free company to herald top-six center Elias Lindholm and top-four defenseman Nikita Zadorov. In addition they traded former Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in a transfer that cleared wage cap house and introduced in two gamers.
This roster is among the many heaviest and tallest within the league, which might make the Bruins even harder to play in opposition to, particularly when the calendar flips to April and Could.
Listed below are 4 key storylines to look at as Bruins coaching camp will get underway.
Jeremy Swayman’s contract scenario and backup goalie competitors
The largest query mark surrounding the Bruins as the beginning of camp nears is the standing of No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman. The 25-year-old netminder stays unsigned as a restricted free agent.
Swayman deserves an enormous increase after making $3.475 million final season — the wage awarded to him in arbitration. Each side decided not to do arbitration again, which wasn’t shocking given how vocal Swayman has been about not having fun with the arbitration course of.
Swayman is a high 10 goalie, and he was probably the most excellent participant at his place by means of the primary two rounds of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins would have been eradicated by the Toronto Maple Leafs within the first spherical if not for Swayman’s brilliance in net.
There is not any arduous deadline for the Bruins and Swayman to satisfy, however this example might grow to be a distraction for the crew the longer it drags on.
It will be unhealthy for the Bruins in the event that they needed to open the common season Oct. 8 in opposition to the Florida Panthers with Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi as their two obtainable goalies. So it will behoove the Bruins, who’ve round $8.64 million in wage cap house (via PuckPedia), to get this accomplished ASAP.
No matter what occurs with Swayman, the backup goalie job is one to keep watch over. Korpisalo was terrible final season, posting a 21-26-4 report with a .890 save proportion and a 3.27 GAA for the Senators. Nevertheless, he did play fairly properly for the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022-23. Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa is the perfect at his place, so it would not be shocking if he makes the mandatory corrections to Korpisalo’s recreation.
Bussi has performed properly in Windfall during the last two seasons and is able to problem for a backup function on the NHL degree. He is an thrilling prospect with a vivid future.
Who will play second-line proper wing?
Maybe probably the most attention-grabbing roster battle in camp would be the competitors for the second-line proper wing spot. This participant will more than likely be taking part in alongside left wing Brad Marchand and middle Charlie Coyle.
The Bruins misplaced Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen within the offseason, giving them much less depth on the wings. Regardless that DeBrusk and Heinen have been inconsistent at instances, they did rating 19 and 17 objectives, respectively, final season. It is not simple to exchange 36 objectives.
The highest candidates for the function possible are, in no explicit order, Morgan Geekie, Trent Frederic, Fabian Lysell, Matthew Poitras and Georgii Merkulov. Frederic performed 51 5-on-5 minutes with Marchand and Coyle final season, whereas Geekie logged 27:40 with the veteran duo. Merkulov has little or no expertise at proper wing and is greatest suited at middle.
Lysell incomes this job most likely is the best-case state of affairs for the Bruins. It is time for the 2021 first-round choose to point out he generally is a viable NHL participant. He has all of the offensive talent you need — nice shot, spectacular playmaking means, superb pace, and so forth. — however it stays to be seen whether or not he can deal with the defensive tasks that taking part in with Marchand and Coyle would entail. This line typically performs in opposition to the opponent’s top-six forwards.
The competitors for this spot ought to be fairly entertaining over the following few weeks.
How will new guys slot in?
Elias Lindholm was the biggest offseason addition for Boston. He is a legit top-six middle who ought to make a seamless transition to the highest line alongside Pavel Zacha at left wing and David Pastrnak at proper wing. Lindholm performs a Patrice Bergeron-esque all-around recreation, together with the flexibility to excel on each particular groups items. Head coach Jim Montgomery ought to be capable to use the Swedish middle in any type of scenario.
Mark Kastelic was acquired by the B’s as a part of the Linus Ullmark commerce with the Ottawa Senators again in June. He might rapidly grow to be a fan favourite together with his hard-nosed, bodily fashion of play. He is a candidate for the fourth-line middle function.
The B’s signed ahead Max Jones in free company, and he is one other potential bottom-six candidate. The 2016 first-round choose tallied 19 factors for the Anaheim Geese in 2022-23 and 15 factors in 2023-24.
The blue line might be just a little totally different on account of Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk all leaving in free company. However the crew does have a number of gamers who’re prepared for an elevated function, most notably Mason Lohrei and maybe Parker Wotherspoon, too. The one main addition to the group was the signing of free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
Zadorov is listed at 6-foot-6 and 248 kilos, and he is not afraid to make use of that dimension to dam pictures, clear site visitors from the entrance of the online and dish out enormous hits. He’ll undoubtedly add just a little extra snarl to the blue line.
Zadorov might play up and down the lineup, however probably the most logical place for him to begin is the left side of the first pairing alongside Charlie McAvoy.
“I actually loved watching him from afar and the participant that he’s and the profession that he is had, and I am thrilled with the chance to have him right here, and he makes our d-corps actually, actually entire,” McAvoy told reporters after a captain’s follow earlier this month.
“We have got just a little little bit of every little thing, and I am simply actually joyful that he is right here, and if I get the possibility to play with him, I believe we’ll hit it off. I believe we’ll be actually good collectively.”
Younger prospects aiming to make the roster
The Bruins have been capable of combine rookie facilities Matthew Poitras and Johnny Beecher, in addition to defenseman Mason Lohrei, into the lineup early final season. Poitras and Beecher made the Opening Evening roster. Poitras was not anticipated to compete for a roster spot so quickly, however he performed so properly in camp and the preseason that the Bruins needed to preserve him.
This 12 months’s group of prospects who could compete for a roster spot embrace Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Riley Duran, John Farinacci, Marc McLaughlin and goalie Brandon Bussi, amongst others.
After dropping Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and James van Riemsdyk within the offseason, there might be a number of roster spots up for grabs in camp, particularly on the wings.
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