As the Boston Bruins look ahead to the 2023-24 season, there seem to be more questions than answers. There were some big roster changes with free agents leaving for other teams and the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Looking at the potential roster on paper, it’s easy to see why there could be some doubt as to how good the Black and Gold can be compared to the rest of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
There was the same doubt entering last season and all they did under first-year coach Jim Montgomery was set records for wins and points in a season before losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Florida Panthers. If the Bruins are going to have any kind of success this season and make it back to the postseason, these three keys will go a long way toward making that happen.
Bruins Need Strong Goaltending Again in 2023-24
There were many surprises last season for the Bruins and one of them was how well Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman played. They were a big reason why Boston won the Presidents’ Trophy and they also combined to win the Jennings Trophy. All of that was done despite Swayman missing nearly a month with a lower body in November.
Ullmark had a career year and was rewarded by winning the Vezina Trophy. He went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage (SV%). He only had two shutouts, which might be the most surprising stat of his. In his two seasons in Boston after beginning his career with the Buffalo Sabres, he had 66 wins in 90 games. Swayman went 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 SV% with four shutouts. Just 24 years old, he has proven that he is capable of being the goalie of the future for the Black and Gold.
Ullmark enters the third season of a four-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $5 million and Swayman signed a one-year $3.475 million after arbitration. Having $8.475 million locked up on two goalies is a lot of money and the Bruins are going to need both of them to step up again this season with questions surrounding just how much offense they will have and be able to generate. There are going to need to be a lot more goalie hugs than expected this season.
Bruins Need Depth Scoring in 2023-24
This might be a no-brainer, but if there is ever a season where the Bruins need some depth scoring, it’s going to be this season. Gone is Taylor Hall after being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in June and Tyler Bertuzzi, acquired at the trade deadline signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Also gone is Bergeron who still produced 27 goals and 31 assists at 37 years old.
Related: 3 Bruins Depth Players to Watch in 2023-24
The Bruins know what they’re going to get from Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak and there is also hope that Jake DeBrusk can come close to his career-high 27 goals, but after that, they are going to need a lot of scoring depth from different players. Morgan Geekie, Jesper Boqvist, and James van Riemsdyk were added in free agency, but just how much can Boston expect to get from them? Last season the Bruins got production from their defense and will need it again this season. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are players who need to provide that scoring punch. Whether or not the Black and Gold make the playoffs could very well hinge on how much scoring depth they get.
Bruins Need to Avoid Long-Term Injuries
Last season the Bruins were able to avoid serious injuries bunched together. They did lose Swayman in November, DeBrusk for six weeks after suffering an injury in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tomas Nosek suffered an injury that cost him a month. They also began the season missing Marchand, McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk and still survived. It’s hard to envision them surviving a lot of injuries this season.
They have some prospects with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) that may see some time in Boston. Georgii Merkulov has a shot to make the roster out of training camp next month and sooner or later Fabian Lysell will need to make an impact in the NHL. Defensively Jakub Zboril more than likely will be the seventh defenseman if an injury occurs on the backend, but Mason Lohrei is a depth option. The roster turnover that occurred this summer put a major dent in the depth that will be available this season, and any injury for a significant amount of time will be costly in 2023-24. Prospect development with the P-Bruins will be even more important this season for the future.
Overall, there are several keys to the upcoming season for the Bruins, but these three will go a long way in keeping them in postseason contention. It’s going to be interesting to see how they react to a new-looking roster after a historic 2022-23.
