Back in September, I sat down and wrote my three wishes for the Boston Bruins’ 2022-23 season. At that time, I could not have imagined where the team is currently ending the regular season. Between the Presidents’ Trophy, David Pastrnak reaching 60 goals, the emergence of Pavel Zacha, and Linus Ullmark being one of, if not the best goaltender in the NHL, a lot of really great things have come of this regular season. These were all things that I would have thought were too out there to consider as reasonable wishes prior to the season beginning.
Yet, these outrageous events have transpired while two out of my three “reasonable” wishes for the 2022-23 season have not come to pass. I’ll take a look back at them below.
Breakout Seasons for DeBrusk and Frederic
With a brand new coach in Jim Montgomery, there were hopes that he would be able to reach some of the younger guys on the team who had struggled in Bruce Cassidy’s system. The two biggest names were former first-round selections Jake DeBrusk and Trent Frederic. While DeBrusk had begun to turn it around in the second half of the 2021-22 season, Frederic had struggled to really find his game in the NHL, earning a reputation mainly as a big hitter who took dumb penalties.
Out of the three wishes, this is the one that came true. While DeBrusk will most likely not hit 30 goals (it would require him to score four in their final game), he has still put together a fantastic performance this season. In 63 games, he has 26 goals and 49 points. He surpassed his career-high for points, which was previously 43, and came close to matching his career-high for goals, 27, from 2018-19. After hitting a rough patch in 2020-21 and having a slow start to the 2021-22 season, he has proven this year that he is capable of being the fantastic scoring talent that he was predicted to be coming into the league. The 30-goal season will come, he just needs to stay healthy.
While DeBrusk had shown glimpses of great talent, and this season was a breakout in that he’s managed to overcome his slump, Frederic’s improved by leaps and bounds in Montgomery’s system. The 25-year-old has hit a career-high 16 goals and 30 points in 78 games this season. He is also a plus-27 and has seen his shot attempts and shooting percentage go way up. Coming into this season, the most goals he’d ever scored was eight in 2021-22. He has doubled that this season. In addition, he has found a way to make aggressive plays without taking as many dumb penalties and contributing on offense. This is by far his best season in the NHL and has shown that he has the potential to continue to progress to being a Tom Wilson type of player.
Reunion of Hall – Krejci – Smith Line
Well, this one didn’t quite work out. Prior to his trade to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline, Craig Smith was really struggling to find his place in the lineup. He dealt with some lingering injuries and couldn’t fit into a lineup that had gelled really quickly early on. With David Krejci back on the second line and Montgomery determined to play him and Pastrnak together, it was evident pretty early that there would not be a reunion of the three despite their success together at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Instead, the second line was dominated by the Czechs, particularly after Brad Marchand’s return to the lineup which allowed the team to commit to Zacha playing on the second line with Krejci and Pastrnak. Taylor Hall meanwhile found a great spot for himself on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Frederic prior to his injury.
Related: Bruins: Top 5 Moments From the 2022-23 Regular Season
Smith, Hall, and Krejci had a great run together during the lead-up to the 2021 Playoffs. But with all the great line combinations that found chemistry early on, it quickly became clear that a true reunion of the trio was just not meant to be.
Breakout From A Bruins’ Prospect
With the success of the older players on the roster and guys like Nick Foligno returning to form in 2022-23, there was not much room for a prospect on the Bruins’ roster. While some young guys got chances, there was by no means a true breakout by a prospect in 2022-23.
Jakub Lauko did surprise many when he made the roster out of a terrific training camp, but he did not stick around for too long as guys got healthy. Still, he ended up playing 22 games in Boston this season, his first time playing games in the NHL. He made a decent impression in those games, scoring four goals and six points. It will be interesting to see what the team does with the 23-year-old next season, particularly if some of the older guys like Foligno or Tomas Nosek leave in free agency or if guys like Krejci or Patrice Bergeron decide to retire this offseason. Maybe 2023-24 could be the Lauko breakout year.
Some other young guys did get a call-up at certain points this season. Oskar Steen played three games in Boston and scored a goal. Jonna Koppanen played five games and Marc McLaughlin played two. All three also put together some solid numbers playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL).
While it seems the Bruins have been waiting for a rookie to really step up and make their break into the NHL for a few seasons now, at the end of the day, no one can really be disappointed that it didn’t happen this season given how great it has gone. Part of the reason that the rookies didn’t get much of a shot is that the veterans were able to stay (mostly) healthy and play to their fullest potential. Hopes for a rookie breakout will just need to be pushed until next season.
Postseason is Here
The playoffs are upon us. The Bruins play their final regular season game against the Montreal Canadiens tonight and then the focus will entirely shift to the postseason. While it has been a historic regular season, they still need to go through a grueling two months of playoff hockey if they want to reach the ultimate prize.
Related: Bruins Should Play Bertuzzi with Pastrnak and Krejci in Playoffs
The team seems healthy and ready to go in a way that they haven’t been in recent seasons. With the motivation of a fantastic season and the potential retirement of guys like Bergeron and Krejci, you know the Bruins are ready for the long haul.