Just how good the Boston Bruins are going to be in 2023-24 after their historic 2022-23 season is one of the biggest questions entering the new NHL season. A lot of teams in the Eastern Conference got better, including the teams in the Atlantic Division. If the Black and Gold are going to get back to the postseason, it’s going to take some big efforts from some of their top players after losing several key pieces, including franchise cornerstone players David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron.
Last season, in setting the NHL record for wins and points in a regular season, Boston got several big seasons and in some cases, career-high seasons from a number of players. There are some players who had a strong season in 2022-23 that need to prove that it was not a one-year fluke. Here are three Bruins who are facing a “prove-it’’ season in 2023-24.
Linus Ullmark
Before signing with the Bruins as a free agent in the summer of 2021, Linus Ullmark struggled to stay healthy with the Buffalo Sabres during his time there. Last season, he had a season that nobody saw coming. In fact, he had such a good season that he was hands down the winner of the Vezina Trophy in June in Nashville at the NHL Awards night. It’s hard to argue with the decision as he went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage (SV%). Splitting time with Jeremy Swayman, Ullmark had a strong month of November in his teammate’s absence after he was sidelined with a lower-body injury after an inadvertent collision with Bergeron. Boston won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the least amount of goals in the regular season and Ullmark was a big reason why.
General manager (GM) Don Sweeney held onto both goalies in the offseason and both will be counted on to have another strong season after all the changes the roster underwent over the summer. For Ullmark, we’re not looking for a repeat performance from last season, however, can he have a good enough season to help keep the Bruins in contention for a playoff berth next spring and can he stay healthy? That’s what he needs to prove in 2023-24.
Morgan Geekie
The Seattle Kraken has some good forward depth and it’s so deep, that GM Ron Francis did not give Morgan Geekie a qualifying offer and he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA). On the first day of free agency, Sweeney signed one of the former Kraken Expansion Draft players to a two-year deal for $4 million.
Last season for Seattle, Geekie had career highs in goals with nine, assists with 19, and points with 28, while averaging just 10:27 a night in 68 regular season games. He brings versatility to the Bruins and can play anywhere in the lineup. Centering the third line is his most likely position to begin the season, but he can slide up and down the lineup as a pivot or on the wing. A power play option for Montgomery’s second unit, faceoffs are going to be key for Geekie, and playing with Trent Frederic on his wing can give the Bruins a relentless forechecking third line that can produce offensively. If he can play well in the top nine for the Bruins, this could be a very underrated signing by Sweeney.
Charlie Coyle
There is going to be more expected from Charlie Coyle entering the season with both Bergeron and Krejci gone. Can he handle a top-six center spot? He did in the playoffs last season against the Florida Panthers, but now it’s going to be over an 82-game schedule, another question for the Massachusetts native is can he produce offensively as he did last season?
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Coyle finished with 16 goals and 29 assists centering the third line, but now in the top-six, the Bruins are going to need him to get at least those same numbers, if not more. If there has been anything with Coyle in the last two seasons, it’s been how consistent he has been offensively. He had 16 goals and 28 assists in 2021-22 and those last two seasons have been his two best since coming to Boston from the Minnesota Wild and the Black and Gold will need a hat trick from him this season in terms of production.
This is going to be a big season for the Bruins in general as they begin the post-Bergeron and Krjeci era in Boston. There is still plenty of talent on the roster, but getting some “prove-it’’ performances from some players is going to be key. Coyle, Ullmark, and Geekie are all capable of showing that last season was no fluke and the Black and Gold will need them to if 2023-24 is going to be a season that ends with a postseason berth.
