It’s a rivalry as old as time — one that has added chapter after chapter to a story that already has some of the best battles included in it. Yet, this season there might be a little something missing from the meetings between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.
After Zdeno Chara left two seasons ago, two more legendary Bruins won’t be suiting up this season for the black and gold following their respective retirement announcements this offseason. On top of that, a former Maple Leaf will be suiting up for the Bruins, while a recent Bruin will be donning the blue and white this season.
Essentially, when looking at this matchup for the upcoming 2023-24 season, the Maple Leafs and Bruins rivalry won’t be lacking when it comes to storylines.
With that, let’s take a closer look at the rivalry renewed for the upcoming campaign.
Bruins Lose Two Leaders
The 2023-24 campaign will certainly prove to be a different one for the Bruins. A change in the guard could prove too much for them with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci announcing their retirements this offseason.
But their goal to make playoffs hasn’t wavered and as such they announced a new leader this month, handing the captaincy over to long-time NHL rat, Brad Marchand who has consistently been an offensive threat against the Maple Leafs over his career.
Still, the loss of Bergeron and Krejci can’t be understated. Two cornerstones of the franchise for the past two decades, it comes as a huge loss for a Bruins team who dominated the Atlantic for years based on their identity.
On top of these two, the Bruins also lost Anton Stralman, who signed a one-year deal in the SHL in July, Dmitry Orlov who is now with the Carolina Hurricanes and Taylor Hall who will start the year in Chicago in 2023-24, among others.
While they did add players like James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Geekie, Milan Lucic and Kevin Shattenkirk, the heart and soul of the team now rests on players like Marchand and David Pastrnak — a core much different than what Bruins’ fans are used to seeing.
Another player the Bruins saw leave in the offseason is Tyler Bertuzzi. Interestingly enough, he’ll be suiting up across from some of his former mates when these two teams meet this season.
Maple Leafs Add Bertuzzi, Domi
While some expected a bit bigger of an overhaul for the Maple Leafs this season after a second-round exit in 2022-23, the team didn’t shift from the core four that has brought them to this place. Rather they moved on from general manager Kyle Dubas, brought in Brad Treliving and made changes to their depth and team toughness.
Their main adds this offseason included Ryan Reaves, Max Domi and Bertuzzi — aligning with the team’s need for “piss and vinegar” in a tough Atlantic Division. On top of that, they have the potential to have a full season with Matthew Knies in the lineup, which helps in spreading out the offence over three lines this season.
The Maple Leafs also re-upped David Kämpf to solidify their penalty kill and their centre position.
“Reliability is the biggest thing,” said coach Sheldon Keefe on what he appreciates about Kämpf. “Any young player out there that really wants to aspire to have a career and find a role and be a pro, work on being reliable first, because every coach or every team needs that. He’s very consistent.”
While a guy like Reaves will add a new level of toughness for when the Maple Leafs play the Bruins and other tough teams, players like Bertuzzi and Domi help in adding depth offence to a lineup that has seemingly been two lines for the past handful of seasons.
On top of that, both are signed to one-year deals with something to prove. Bertuzzi is looking for a bounce back season after some injuries and Domi will be looking for another 20-goal campaign.
Either way, the additions the Maple Leafs have made add another element to the rivalry especially when to factor in what the Bruins have lost this offseason.
Maple Leafs, Bruins in 2022-23
As for how these teams lined up last season, the Bruins held the upper hand in 2022-23 winning three of their four meetings, while the Maple Leafs finished 1-2-1 in those four games. While the Maple Leafs were able to get three of a possible eight points, there’s no doubt they’d want a better outcome this season — especially when it comes to a divisional rival.
The Maple Leafs were only outscored 12-8 in those four meetings and while the Bruins had a record-breaking season in 2022-23, the Maple Leafs would love to finally get over the hump when it comes to a team that has had their number for the past decade.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Keefe Impressed With Nylander, Domi Connection
The Bruins won the final three meetings of the year with the biggest deficit in any one of the four meetings being three goals in a Bruins 5-2 win in February. But realistically, the two teams were fairly close in competition last season.
As for how these two teams matchup all-time, the Bruins still have an edge. The Maple Leafs have an all-time record of 282-293-98-11 in 684 regular season games. That’s a .492 point percentage over that span. What’s interesting about the all-time numbers is that when it comes to scoring, the Maple Leafs hold the upper hand outscoring the Bruins 2,034 to 2,024.
So, who comes out on top in 2023-24?
Predicition: Maple Leafs Top Bruins in 2023-24
This could be the year the Maple Leafs find their footing when it comes to the Bruins. The Bruins have Linus Ullmark coming off a Vezina season that also landed him the Jennings Trophy. But can he repeat after a season in which he went 40-6-1 in 49 games with a 1.89 goals against average (GAA) and .938 save percentage (SV%)?
Even if he doesn’t they do have Jeremy Swayman to back him up, but the Bruins have lost their identity to an extent. Let’s not be naive about what Bergeron and Krejci meant to this team. They still have some familiar faces, but the team will look different in 2023-24.
As for the Maple Leafs, the additions of Bertuzzi and Domi will be interesting. While it’s far too early to say that there will be a balanced offence in Toronto this season, it’s a fair assumption to think that the Maple Leafs could have six 20-goal scorers this season and that would push them up the Atlantic rankings.
The rivalry will continue when the Bruins and Maple Leafs meet this season, but it’s safe to say there could be a different result when it’s all said and done.