NHL Notebook: Projecting Bruins' opening-night lineup, power rankings for 2019-20 season

The Bruins are going to have some decisions to make over the next couple of days, as the club needs to trim its roster down from its current glut of 32 players to a max of 23 ahead of the league deadline of October 1 at 5 p.m.

There’s plenty of factors to weigh when rolling out the best possible lineup for Thursday’s season opener in Dallas, so let’s take a crack at it.

FORWARDS

1st Line:

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems to be Bruce Cassidy’s mantra when it comes to this trio, which, all things considered, should once again be one of the top lines in the NHL in 2019-20. 

While the case could be made that Boston should spread out some of its scoring depth — and solve the vacancy at 2RW — by slotting down Pastrnak to David Krejci’s line, it looks as though Boston is more than comfortable retaining a buzzsaw of a top-line and letting the pieces fall where they may elsewhere on the depth chart.

Barring injuries, don’t expect too much of a drop-off with this line, which, if they all remained healthy in 2018-19, could have boasted three 100-point scorers. Pastrnak has made major steps forward with each new season — and he may still be a year or two away from hitting his peak.

If that trio can cut down on the punches that opposing squads managed to land on them (24 5v5 goals against in ‘18-’19), then they could be even better in 2019-20.

2nd Line: 



DeBrusk-Krejci-Kuhlman

This could change in a hurry if Krejci’s lower-body injury lingers, but based on Cassidy's comments on Saturday, it seems as though Krejci will be good to go for Dallas.

While Krejci would clearly welcome someone like Pastrnak to his right, Kuhlman seems to be the worthy winner of the 2RW spot out of camp.

To be fair, Kuhlman hasn’t faced too much competition to knock him out of the spot — especially with a guy like Anders Bjork primarily staying at LW during the preseason. But in terms of maximizing the value of that line without dipping into the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line, Kuhlman is an easy choice. 

After all, a second line of DeBrusk-Krejci-Kuhlman skated together for a little over 68 minutes of 5v5 TOI during the 2018-19 regular season. During that stretch, the Bruins scored eight 5v5 goals and relinquished three down the other end of the ice. 

That totals out to a *bananas* goals-for per 60 minute (GF/60) rate of 7.00.

That’s tops among all Bruins forward lines that logged at least 50 minutes of 5v5 TOI this season — by a wide margin. 

DeBrusk-Krejci-Kuhlman — 7.00 GF/60 (8 goals in 68 minutes)
Marchand-Krejci-Pastrnak — 4.1 GF/60 (9 goals in 131 minutes)
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak – 3.51 GF/60 (27 goals in 461 minutes)
Marchand-Bergeron-Heinen – 3.34 GF/60 (11 goals in 197 minutes)
DeBrusk-Krejci-Nordstrom – 3.22 GF/60 (6 goals in 111 minutes)
DeBrusk-Krejci-Pastrnak – 3.16 GF/60 (3 goals in 57 minutes)

It remains to be seen if that line can keep up that level of offensive production (alright, they won’t, but no line generates a GF/60 of 7.00), but there certainly is something tangible about the chemistry with that trio. 

3rd Line:

Heinen-Coyle-Ritchie

Two-thirds of this pivotal lineup combination were set in stone. Coyle has been an absolute monster this preseason in terms of possessing the puck and generating sustained O-zone pressure, while Heinen is in a prime position to thrive offensively with Coyle driving the play. But who skates to Coyle’s right stands as the most intriguing question of the preseason — and right now, it looks like Brett Ritchie is going to be the winner out of camp.

Now, to be fair, if we’re basing this on preseason production, that spot should go to Bjork, who has been a monster out on the ice and doesn’t appear limited at all by another season-ending shoulder surgery in 2018-19.

We’ll bring the tale of the tape between Ritchie and Bjork here:



The numbers all point towards Bjork, but given Boston’s ability to send Bjork down to the AHL without passing through waivers and the need to get him rolling offensively ASAP, then a short stint in Providence seems to be the route that Cassidy and Co. want to take.

Still, this line could look very, very different in just a week or two, especially if Bjork really lights it up against lesser competition down in the AHL. Don’t be surprised if Bjork is back up with Boston and skating at LW in the near future. 

4th Line: 

Lindholm-Kuraly-Wagner

Given that Nordstrom failed to appear in a single preseason game and was limited throughout September due to a foot fracture, it wouldn’t surprise me if Boston gives him some extra time to recuperate at the start of the regular season. Boston can afford to give Nordstrom that window thanks to what should be some impressive depth in its bottom-six, with Lindholm likely standing as the first man up in place of Nordstrom. 

Lindholm reminds me a bit of Nordstrom in terms of being utilized as Swiss Army Knife on this club, but the versatile forward could also very well earn reps higher up in the lineup, especially if that scoring touch he showcased overseas in Sweden eventually translates here in the NHL. 

When it comes to the fourth line, Boston seems to have an embarrassment of riches this season — with Cassidy having the option to slot in wingers like Lindholm, Nordstrom and David Backes once everyone is all accounted for. 

That lack of continuity might stand as a red flag for some, but given the grueling nature of a fourth-line, checking role — injuries will be inevitable over the course of the regular season. And even if this unit emerges with little more than a few bumps and bruises, keeping wingers like Backes, Wagner and others fresh by not rolling them out for 82 games could prove beneficial once the calendar turns to April, May and potentially June. 

In terms of workload management, Boston’s fourth line should be a fascinating case study this season. 

DEFENSE

1st Pair: 

Chara-McAvoy

Ho hum, nothing to see here. While this duo should once again start the season as Boston’s top D pairing, methinks we could see McAvoy paired up with Matt Grzelcyk at some point if Cassidy really wants to juggle things up. After all, the BU products were dominant in an OT loss to Chicago last week and have the potential to be a  devastating pairing in terms of offensive potential, breakout proficiency and stinginess in the D-zone. 

2nd Pair: 

Krug-Carlo 

For as much as Krug gets knocked for his play in the D-zone, the case could be made that the mix of a playmaker in Krug and a defensive stalwart in Carlo was the perfect blend for Boston in 2018-19. During Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, Krug-Carlo was arguably the Bruins’ most reliable duo on the blue line, with Boston holding a 12-9 edge in 5v5 goals and controlling 53% of the shot share during the 303:45 of TOI in which both skaters were deployed during the postseason. Look for them to build off of that playoff run in 2019-20. 

3rd Pair: 

Grzelcyk-Clifton 

With John Moore and Kevan Miller out due to injury, Clifton stands as the next man up to fill in on an intriguing third pair next to one of the more underrated blueliners in the entire NHL in Grzelcyk. While “Cliffy Hockey” is known for his big hits and flashes of skill in the O-zone, the Quinnipiac product was also a defensive anchor for Boston in 2018-19 — with his goals against per 60-minute rate of 0.95 ranking second on the entire team. Cassidy will have some big decisions to make once Moore/Miller are cleared for a return. 

GOALIES

Rask
Halak

Surprised? No? Good. Nothing to see here with arguably the top tandem in net across the NHL.

DEPTH 

FORWARDS

David Backes
Peter Cehlarik 

DEFENSE

Steven Kampfer 

No surprises here, either — Kampfer has pretty much locked up the 7th D spot, while Backes, all things considered, does provide some value if his role is carved out on a more straightforward, north-south line combination.

Cehlarik could start the year on IR due to a lower-body injury, but if not, he might be stuck in the NHL in a reserve role for the time being. The winger is obviously best suited for the AHL in terms of his development, but he’d have to pass through waivers in order to get sent down to Providence. Doesn’t seem like Boston would get out of that waiver process unscathed, given Cehlarik’s promise.

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POWER RANKINGS

With the 2019-20 season finally upon us, let’s see where these teams stack up:

31. Ottawa Senators: Well, at least they have Thomas Chabot and forward Brady Tkachuk, right? Again — start watching those highlight vids of Alexis Lafrenière, Ottawa fans.

30. Los Angeles Kings: The Kings still have some great players in Anze Kopitar ($10 million cap hit through 2024) and Drew Doughty ($11 million cap hit through 2026), but deals for guys like Ilya Kovalchuk, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter (a combined $17.2 million cap hit this season) are going to hamstring this club for quite some time. 

29. Detroit Red Wings: Detroit’s prospect pipeline has some promise and the team is in position to spend big in the next couple of years, but this club is still really lacking when it comes to high-end skill — especially on the blue line.

28. Anaheim Ducks: Ducks fans should be doing backflips that their franchise didn’t deal Ondrej Kase in any potential deal with Carolina for Justin Faulk. This team is still rebuilding, but this club could accelerate its development if it starts giving John Gibson some offensive support. He’s that good in net. 

27. Minnesota Wild: Mats Zuccarello is a nice pickup for this club, but is he going to put the team over the top? Already saddled with a veteran-heavy roster with plenty of money tied up under long-term contracts, the Wild seem to be stuck in no man's land — too good to fully tank but nowhere near good enough to contend for a Cup. Bill Guerin is going to have his work cut out for him.

26. Edmonton Oilers: Someone free Connor McDavid, please.

25. Buffalo Sabres The time is now for Buffalo to take a step forward, especially with Jack Eichel at center and Rasmus Dahlin on the blue line. While Buffalo has some franchise cornerstones at key spots in the lineup, there still are numerous holes located across the roster. 

24. Montreal Canadiens: Habs fans better pray that Carey Price can stay healthy and play at least 60 games this season. An already uninspiring forward corps is due for some regression in 2019-20, while that putrid power play (13.3%) is going to have to be much, much better. You know who this team needs? Sebastian Aho.

23. Vancouver Canucks: Are the Canucks good yet? Nope. But man, are they gonna be fun to watch this season with Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes earning heavy minutes. We’ll just ignore the Tyler Myers contract.

22. Columbus Blue Jackets: For a team devastated by free-agent departures like Panarin, Bobrovsky and Duchene, Columbus at least has a great foundation for the future with players like Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexandre Texier all expected to take the next step in 2019-20. 

21. New York Islanders: Maybe I’m just pessimistic, but I’m buying in on the idea that the Islanders are doomed to regress after going from the worst defense in 2017-18 (3.57 GA/G) to the best (2.33 GA/G) the following year. Count me skeptical about the Islanders’ new netminder in Semyon Varlamov as well.

20. Philadelphia Flyers: Philly has plenty of impact players returning like Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov, while free-agent signings like Kevin Hayes, Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen leave quite a bit to be desired. 

19. New Jersey Devils: The Devils are in line for a big turnaround this winter, especially with Jack Hughes slotting in at the pivot. P.K. Subban should thrive at his new spot, while Taylor Hall is poised for a monster year next to Hughes (and because he’s set to hit free agency).

18. Chicago Blackhawks: We all know that Blackhawks can pile on goals in a hurry, but can they improve a defense that relinquished 3.55 goals per game last year (30th in NHL)? Signing Vezina finalist Robin Lehner to a one-year deal will help, while Calvin de Haan is also a great pickup. 

17. Pittsburgh Penguins: Sleep on the Penguins at your own risk, sure. But Pittsburgh’s retooling on the fly has left quite a bit to be desired. Phil Kessel will be missed, while that six-year deal for Brandon Tanev is baaaaad.

16. Arizona Coyotes: The Coyotes had absolutely no business being even remotely competent in 2018-19, and yet — despite an unproven core and a slew of injuries — they hung around the playoff picture out west up until the final weeks of the regular season. Rick Tocchet’s club could take a major step forward this winter, especially with Phil Kessel joining the top-six. However, Antti Raanta is already dealing with a bit of an injury. 

15. Winnipeg Jets: Kyle Connor is back in the fold and Winnipeg still has a great core with players like Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine returning. Still, this club’s situation on the blue line is in a rough spot, especially with Jacob Trouba now in New York and Dustin Byfuglien currently on leave from the team. 

14. New York Rangers: After a miserable 2018-19 campaign, the Blueshirts are poised to take a leap forward with a roster filled with high-end talent and plenty of potential. Artemi Panarin alone transforms their top six, but the Rangers also have a slew of younger players ready to make an immediate impact, headlined by Kaapo Kakko. Jacob Trouba is also a key pick-up on the blue line. 

13. Florida Panthers: Given the talent of its core, the Panthers’ track record over the last couple of seasons has been woefully underwhelming. The Panthers do seem ready for a rebound in 2019-20, especially with so many dynamic players sprinkled throughout the roster in Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle. And of course, after their netminders posted a collective .897 save percentage in 2018-19, the Panthers addressed their weakness by signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a huge deal.

12. Carolina Hurricanes: Justin Williams’ decision to step away from hockey is a tough hit for the ‘Canes, but this young and talented club is poised to build off of a memorable 2018-19 season. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are due for big seasons, while Carolina’s D corps is still loaded, even following Justin Faulk’s trade to St. Louis. 

11. Calgary Flames: The Flames are still going to score a boatload of goals in 2019-20 — with their big guns up front in Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk all expected to be back in the fold. Calgary also has a strong D corps, but their acquisition of Milan Lucic is still a head-scratcher, while the club still has a ton of question marks in net. 

10. San Jose Sharks: The loss of Joe Pavelski hurts, but the Sharks still have most of the same cast returning from a team that made it back to the Western Conference Final this spring. San Jose is hoping that Erik Karlsson will finally be able to play with a clean bill of health this season, while Timo Meier is already a stud at 22 year sold.  There are few weaknesses on this Sharks roster, although Martin Jones is still a huge wild card in net. 

9. Colorado Avalanche: The Avs, boasting both the top line in all of hockey (Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen) and a dynamite pipeline of talent on the blue line (headlined by Cale Makar) very well could be the top team in the Western Conference by the time the postseason rolls around. Their ceiling as a club is pretty terrifying, and they should only get better and better going forward. 

8. Washington Capitals: While the pillars that have made the Capitals a perennial contender still remain in Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom and many more, Washington largely decided to tread water this summer, with the club having to save up some cap space with Holtby and Backstrom set to be UFAs next year. 

7. Dallas Stars: The Stars might be more known for their scoring prowess over the years thanks to guys like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but this club orchestrated its run last year thanks to the play of Ben Bishop in net and a stout D corps that ranked second in the NHL in GA/G at 2.44. That defense could be even better this season with players like Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell all expected to take further strides in their game, while the addition of Joe Pavelski up front could put this club over the top. 

6. Nashville Predators: The book has been out on the Predators over the last couple of seasons when it comes to identifying their strengths — great goaltending and a stout blue line. Don’t expect that to change this season, while the addition of Matt Duchene should do wonders for a team that ranked 19th in the league in GF/G at 2.88 and had the worst power play in the NHL with a 12.9% success rate. Getting both Filip Forsberg (64 games played) and Viktor Arvidsson (58 games played) back healthy should also help the Preds’ offense rebound.

5. Vegas Golden Knights: Had this club not had its meltdown in Game 7 against the Sharks, the Golden Knights very well could have been back in the Cup Final for the second year in a row — they’re that good. While they had to shed a few contracts (Colin Miller, Ryan Carpenter, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Erik Haula) to get under the cap, most of the key cogs on the roster are expected back on a balanced Golden Knights roster. After tallying 12 points in his first seven playoff games with Vegas, Mark Stone is poised for a huge year. 

4. Toronto Maple Leafs:  Given how much money is tied up with this club in so few players going forward — and the fact that five of the team’s six starting defensemen are set to enter free agency in 2020 — this might be Toronto’s best chance for a deep playoff run. Oh, the perils of cap mismanagement. Still, this club boasts Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Frederik Andersen and Morgan Rielly. They’ll be very, very good. But that defense is still very, very shaky. 

3. Boston Bruins: While the Bruins could really use another top-six option, there’s still plenty to like about Boston in 2019-20. Along with the established core expected to return (Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Krug, Rask), the case could be made that the expected strides for youngsters like Pastrnak, McAvoy, Carlo, Grzelcyk, DeBrusk, Heinen, Bjork and more could make this club even better this winter. Of course, the biggest challenge facing the Bruins lies more in the competition around them than the team itself.

2. St. Louis Blues: They’re sitting high up on this list as the reigning Stanley Cup champs, and as a whole, they’re still going to be a tough team to go against — especially with guys like Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko (a dark horse for the Conn Smythe, IMO) anchoring the defense. Still, it’s awfully hard to repeat in this league, and one has to question how Jordan Binnington will handle a full season after jump-starting his team’s miraculous run. He can’t do it again — right? Right? 

1. Tampa Bay Lightning: After an embarrassing first-round exit last season at the hands of the Blue Jackets, the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be awfully motivated going into 2019-20 — with a wagon of a roster likely set to go scorched earth on the competition once again. Now, they likely won’t be winning 62 games again, but the gang is all set to return in what is an absolutely loaded team.