The 2021-22 NHL regular season opens this week, though the Boston Bruins won’t play their first game until Oct. 16, opening the campaign at the TD Garden against the Dallas Stars in a little under a week from now.
The news broke yesterday that a pair of veterans in forward Chris Wagner and defenseman John Moore had been placed on waivers. The move frees up about $2.25 million in cap space (both contracts account for $4.1 million), assuming no team claims either player and their cap hits are “buried” in the AHL at a $1.8 million max allocation per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.
It’s a tough ending for 2009 first-round pick Moore in Boston, who signed a five-year contract with the Bruins in 2018 at a decent cap hit ($2.75M per year) had he become a stable second pairing defender over the life of the deal. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to live up to the expectations and became a lightning rod for criticism as an overpaid role player who never really got comfortable under Bruce Cassidy. Wagner, a Walpole native who played college hockey at Colgate, lived his childhood dream of playing for his favorite Bruins team. He even won the 2019 Seventh Player Award after a career-best 12 goals in 76 games and a gritty performance on the fourth line, and was on the club’s run to the Stanley Cup final that spring.
Both were signed through 2023, but hockey is a business and every cap dollar counts for the Bruins going forward. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the pair, as both are good soldier types, and Don Sweeney reportedly tried to trade them to avoid this situation, but found no takers.
With the team moving on without the two veterans at least for now, it is time to answer five burning questions for the Bruins at the dawn of the new season and see what might be on the road ahead for the team.
1. Will the second line be able to score?
Even though he hinted at departing the NHL to finish his career, it was a surprising decision by Krejci to leave, especially since the stars appeared to be lining up for him to come back for at least one more season when the B’s extended left wing Taylor Hall just prior to the NHL draft.
For the past several years, the team had struggled to formulate a consistent second line for the veteran Krejci, finally putting it together at the 2021 trade deadline with the trade that brought Hall to Boston from Buffalo, with 2020 free agent Craig Smith rounding out the trio.
On day one of free agency, Sweeney signed Erik Haula, and with Charlie Coyle and even youngster Jack Studnicka in the fold, talked of a “center by committee” strategy to address the big need up the middle.
As the season opener draws closer, it looks like the team will tap the pride of East Weymouth for the job out of the gate. Knee surgery limited Coyle to just one preseason game, but he played well and showed off some instant chemistry with Hall and Smith in Boston’s overtime loss to the Washington Capitals, scoring the first goal of the contest by going to the net, and then assisting on Hall’s only preseason goal.
Coyle gets a lot of static online from fans for his lack of production, coming off a difficult 2021 campaign. It turns out he was playing with a bum wheel, but unless he can return to more of a 50-point form this year, the critics will be sharpening their knives, looking for reasons to criticize the decision to go with Coyle as the team’s 2C. He’s a proven third-line pivot, but at 29, is in his prime and if there ever was a time for him to breakout with a career season, now is it.
The good news for the Bruins is that Studnicka did a good job in his audition for the role during the early camp sessions and preseason games. People sometimes forget that it isn’t a level playing field sometimes when it comes to roster decisions, as far more goes into it than simply what the average observer might see or feel based on the small sample size of a preseason. Coaches have to trust the players in the roles their being given, and Studnicka not being handed the keys to the second line might have a lot more to do with his inexperience and not saddling him with crushing expectations that could damage his confidence if he’s unable to carry the regular season mail than an indictment of his abilities.
Remember- preseason is one thing, but Studnicka’s performance likely did far more to convince the team that he is better prepared for a regular NHL role and the chance to play his way up in the lineup. He did his job, and looks much improved with the added 15 pounds in terms of his power game and ability to drive through contact, possess pucks down low, and get to the net consistently.
As for Haula, he’s had a very good showing with the Bruins thus far. He’s the third-line center for now, but having been a 29-goal scorer with Vegas, watch for him to see time bouncing up and back, and if Coyle is unable to key the production on that line, don’t be surprised to see Haula get next crack. The former Omaha Lancers and Minnesota Golden Gophers star might end up being one of the very best bargain contracts in the NHL after signing a two-year deal at a $2.375 million cap hit.
Will the second line score? With Hall and Smith complementing each other nicely with speed, pure skill on the left side, and real grit/tenacity on the right side, there will be offense. Not having Krejci driving plays will unquestionably hurt, but on paper with Coyle and the other options, the line is a serviceable one. Serviceable, however, doesn’t win championships.
The feeling here is that Sweeney is banking the extra cap space from the recent transactions to give himself the flexibility to add a center via trade if the committee approach goes south.
2. Can the goaltending tandem of Swayman-Ullmark rise to upper echelon?
The new season brings a new era to the Bruins for the first time in a decade, as Tuukka Rask will not be manning the nets as the No. 1 goaltender for the first time since 2012.
Rask’s offseason hip surgery forced the B’s to turn to Linus Ullmark via free agency, and although the team and Rask himself keep hinting to a return, the current dynamic could alter that reasoning, especially if Jeremy Swayman continues his sensational play.
Like Rask did in 2010, and Tim Thomas before him, and even Andrew Raycroft before that, the Bruins have never shied away from letting unproven goalies take the net by force through their play if it is warranted.
We broke down Swayman’s playing style recently, and there are a lot of reasons to think that he could earn the lion’s share of starts going forward after his scintillating 10-game tryout last spring and the way he performed in the preseason.
Ullmark, who is a talented goalie who performed in the higher end of statistical categories despite playing on one of the NHL’s worst clubs in Buffalo, has struggled to make a seamless transition in Boston. Having said that, the 28-year-old is getting better and has the talent plus foundational structure in his game to be far more effective than he’s been in the early going.
On the downside, he turned the puck over to Alexis Lafreniere in overtime and allowed the winning goal against the Rangers, but on the upside, he made a superb save on T.J. Oshie in the (meaningless) shootout in the preseason finale, extending his left pad to deny the inside-the-post tuck. He’s capable of a lot more, and the team will likely get it.
However, if all things are equal, Swayman has earned the nod on opening night. We’re just not sure they are equal, and this week of practices will determine what Cassidy and his staff opts to do against Dallas.
Waiting in the wings should the goaltending not be up to snuff is Rask. He’s made no secret that he’d like to return to Boston. Of course, the team would have to re-sign him, and that calls for an allocation of precious cap space. While he’s rehabbing his hip and unavailable, it’s a moot point, but how the Swayman-Ullmark tandem performs will give an indication of what the B’s might do. It’s nice to have options.
Will the current goalie duo rise to the upper echelon in the NHL, a place Rask and Jaroslav Halak held in recent seasons? Yes, they absolutely have the talent to do it. What may factor into that is the next question, though.
3. Does the Boston defense have enough depth?
The short answer to this question is no.
Charlie McAvoy is ready to carry the team on his impressive shoulders, and there is a solid supporting cast of players on both sides who will make scoring on Boston a tougher option.
Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) and Mike Reilly are nimble, seasoned puck movers on the left side to go with McAvoy’s all-star two-way package on the right. Brandon Carlo is a top shutdown option over on the right who will play a lot of minutes and bolster that side of the ice with No. 73.
Derek Forbort isn’t a top option on the left side, but as he adjusts and gets more comfortable in Boston, will provide a similar impact defensively to Carlo. That may mean he plays minutes with McAvoy on the top pair, or skates on the second or third units. Given his size and versatility, that will be a matchup-based option for the coaches and it isn’t as simple as declaring him a third pair defender and expecting that to be the status quo.
Connor Clifton and Jakub Zboril round out the Boston blue liners, but make no mistake- pull any piece out of the Jenga tower of a lineup, and things will get dicey fast. Clifton is small but fast and rugged. He’s the most suited to playing up in the lineup on the right side if needed. Zboril is more of an enigma. He should be more skilled than he’s shown. At the very least, he should be better defensively than he’s been. The former 2015 top pick just seems at times to be content playing passive and even sometimes lazy hockey. If the Bruins are counting on him to any degree this season, they’re in trouble.
There isn’t a lot of help available on the farm, either. But perhaps most ready is Brady Lyle, who showed some impressive flashes in preseason. He’s a right defender, but Clifton could slide over to the left in a pinch. There’s a better than average chance Lyle sees some NHL games this season, with Jack Ahcan also being an option on the left side. Despite his lack of size, he can wheel and move pucks. If he gets off to a good start in Providence, there will be more confidence in bringing him up if needed. For now, he needs the reps in the AHL and performing in a top role, which he wouldn’t get in Boston.
All in all, the top of the B’s defense is capable. But the depth isn’t there compared to other top contending teams around the league.
4. How effective will the lower lines be?
Haula’s arrival, plus Nick Foligno’s veteran poise and Jake DeBrusk’s preseason revival certainly speaks well to a more effective third line, which could be a key x-factor in taking some of the pressure off of that second line.
On paper, it’s as good a third line as any around the NHL, and there could be more offense than many are accounting for, but things will have to break right. Haula and DeBrusk have at least in preseason shown that they want to get back to near 30-goal form, and Foligno is a perfect complement to that duo with his speed, pace, grit and experience.
The fourth line is going to be more of an issue right now, as Curtis Lazar suffered an injury that will keep him out of action for a while. That means free agent acquisition Tomas Nosek will skate with Trent Frederic and Studnicka, at least to begin the season with Wagner waived.
Nosek is what he is. He’s a good bottom-line pivot who goes hard to the net, but doesn’t have the hands or finish to put up a lot of points. He’s strong on draws and plays a heavy, versatile style that the Bruins love. He looks more consistent than Sean Kuraly was in his final years here.
Frederic will need to keep bringing his patented tough, abrasive style, but he has more to give offensively. With Studnicka on the line, he can also take draws and swap in and out at center with Nosek depending on the matchups, while also gaining experience on the wing. The youngest Bruin might be the key to creating a little more of a scoring pop to that line. He’s a savvy two-way player already, but combine his sneaky good creativity with the north-south power of his linemates, and it’s an intriguing line.
Albeit one that will be on a pretty short leash, at least, initially.
5. Can the Bruins win the Stanley Cup?
This Boston team is a playoff roster. Is it a championship caliber one?
There’s simply too much right now that is unknown to confidently say that.
Like many Boston teams and eras of the past, this group will continue to be competitive because the core pieces of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and McAvoy give them top performances at their respective positions. Cassidy and his coaches will get the most out of this lineup on each and every night.
Depth, however, is what wins the Stanley Cup, and we’re just not sure there are enough horses to keep up with the other teams in the Eastern Conference who have younger star talent and more proven players further down on their roster.
The good news for Bruins fans is that there are some positive trends and track records in play that look to be headed in the right direction.
The second line may have lost Krejci, but having Hall for a full season will help counterbalance that void. He’s not a creator-type, but he’s also invigorated and happy after being settled for the first time since he was a teenager he said recently.
The third line is shaping up to be one of the most reliable units on the roster and seeing DeBrusk flying around the ice, shooting pucks into the net (especially in the shootouts- he’s a weapon) but most of all- smiling- again, bodes well. Foligno is a natural leader.
In net, Swayman could make a serious run for Calder Trophy consideration as NHL rookie of the year. Ullmark has the ability to be a top No. 1, and if not, his contract and age gives Sweeney options.
On the down side, that defense is no threat to the memory of the Montreal Canadiens of the late 1970s, or even the B’s defenses of the late 80’s and early 2010’s, keyed by Zdeno Chara and bringing Lord Stanley back to Boston in 2011, plus serious runs in 2013 and 2019.
That’s where we will leave it.
The Bruins will win enough games to get to the dance, but Sweeney and Co. will likely continue to seek to improve team depth at all positions going forward. There are only so many more all-star seasons left in Bergeron and Marchand, and this team is not far away, especially with the team culture permeating throughout the organization.
They just aren’t quite deep enough to be a classic contender right now- a lot will have to break right for them.
