The Boston Bruins begin the 2023-24 regular season at the TD Garden against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night (Oct. 11) with more questions than answers. An offseason of change saw franchise centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retire and general manager (GM) Don Sweeney decided to fill their spots internally.
As the Bruins open the season against former teammates Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno along with first overall pick of the 2023 Entry Draft Connor Bedard, this season can go in many different ways. Recently I wrote a piece for the five best-case scenarios for the Black and Gold this season and here are five worst-case scenarios for Jim Montgomery’s team.
Hampus Lindholm Takes a Step Back
Last season the Bruins began the season minus top defenseman Charlie McAvoy who was recovering from offseason surgery and Hampus Lindholm picked up the slack for his teammate. Not only did he hold the fort down until McAvoy returned, but he ended up having a strong campaign with 10 goals and a career-high 43 assists while finishing with a plus/minus of plus-49.
This training camp was not a good one for the former Anaheim Ducks blueliner and he struggled in preseason games, something that the Bruins can’t afford to have him carry over to the regular season. After Boston’s elimination in the first round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers, he admitted he played the series with a broken foot and you have to wonder is the left-shot defenseman is healthy or still feeling the effects of that injury. Regardless, the Bruins are going to rely heavily on their defense this season and if Lindholm takes a step back, that would be a huge setback for the blueline.
Pavel Zacha & Charlie Coyle Can’t Handle Being a Top-Six Center
This wouldn’t be a worst-case scenario, this would be a disastrous scenario for Montgomery and the Bruins. It’s nearly impossible to replace the two future Hall of Famers, but Boston is putting all the eggs in Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle’s baskets to fill the huge void. Easier said than done.
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Coyle struggled two seasons ago when Krejci left to continue his career in Czechia and halfway through the season, former coach Bruce Cassidy had to move him to the third line and slide Erik Haula up to the second line. Last April against the Panthers in the postseason, Coyle played well when both Bergeron and Krejci missed some time, but that was just a few games, now he’s being asked to do it over an 82-game schedule.
Zacha spent the majority of the season on the wing with Krejci and David Pastrnak but played well when he was moved into the middle when Krejci suffered injuries at the beginning of the season and near the end. Like Coyle, he’s going to be asked to do it over a full season and be asked to win some key faceoffs in some big moments. Zacha and Coyle will be worth keeping an eye on all season long.
Brad Marchand Struggles Without Patrice Bergeron
For so many years, Brad Marchand and Bergeron were linemates who formed an incredible connection on the ice. Whether it was at even strength, on the power play, or shorthanded, they knew what the other was going to do before they did it and they knew where the other would be on the ice. Now with Bergeron gone, Marchand is going to have to adjust to a new center.
Whoever ends up as his center remains to be seen, most likely with Zacha or Coyle, but in the preseason games the new Bruins captain played in, he played a lot with prospect Matthew Poitras and Jake DeBrusk. It is imperative that Marchand continues to produce at a high level this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get off to a slow start without Bergeron, it would be a struggle for the Black and Gold if he struggled all season long.
Bruins Get No Production From Their Bottom-Six
One of the reasons the Bruins set an NHL record for wins (65) and points (135) in 2022-23 was because of the production they got from their bottom-six. Trent Frederic had a career year, Coyle was consistent and whoever Montgomery inserted into the lineup, they got balance production.
This season, the bottom six have a different look with the addition of Morgan Geekie, Jakub Lauko, John Beecher, Milan Lucic, and Poitras. When it comes to production, not many names there jump off the page, but it is almost a must that they produce because if they don’t, asking the top-six to produce on a nightly basis may be a tough ask all season long.
Bruins Miss the Playoffs & Still Lose 2024 First-Round Pick
At the trade deadline in March, Sweeney acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings for Boston’s 2024 first-round pick, however, there is a condition. It is top 10 protected, meaning if it is between 1-10, the Bruins keep it, but for that to happen the Bruins will likely need to miss the playoffs by a fairly sizeable gap.
Just missing the postseason by a few points and the pick ending up outside the top 10 and going to the Red Wings is a really bad scenario for the Bruins. In a perfect world, they somehow find their way into the postseason and don’t have to worry about missing the playoffs and losing their first-round pick, and have a lot of cap space next summer.
There are a lot of ways the 2023-24 season can go for the Bruins, but if it goes bad, these worst-case scenarios are something that will be tough to recover from. It is imperative that they get off to a good start and take advantage of an October schedule that doesn’t feature many teams that made the playoffs last season or some of these worst-case scenarios might become reality.
