Even with the returns of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci down the middle, the 2022-23 Bruins will have some tough sledding ahead when the new NHL campaign commences this fall.
The reunion of Boston’s double-headed monster at the pivot position will help, but it won’t patch up the void left in wake of Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk’s offseason surgeries — which will keep the trio on the shelf through at least the first month-plus of the season.
As such, Jim Montgomery and his staff will have their work cut out for them when it comes to retooling the B’s lineup by way of internal candidates and line reshuffles in order to account for the loss of two top-four stalwarts on the blue line (one of which is a top-five D in the league) and a star talent at left wing in Marchand.
So, with training camp still a few weeks away, let’s take our first (of many) look at just what Boston’s lineup might look like on Opening Night.
FORWARDS
Pavel Zacha - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Frankly, the Bruins could go in about a dozen different directions when it comes to concocting their forward lines in October/November. And with Bergeron’s tried-and-true cohort in Marchand out of commission until at least the end of November, Boston’s top line is due for a bit of an overhaul.
Thankfully, the B’s do have a bevy of intriguing options when it comes to giving a two-way maestro like Bergeron some weapons to work with.
At this point, I’d say it’s safe to assume that Jake DeBrusk is going to be sticking with Bergeron for the time being — given the strong returns he posted in the second half of last season following his top-line promotion.
The real question with DeBrusk (beyond whether or not he can sustain his scorching scoring ways) is whether or not he will play at left wing (his natural position) or right wing to open the season.
Given that DeBrusk’s best shot at sticking in the top-six unit (once Marchand returns) involves him carving out that 1RW spot, we’ll opt to stick him there to open the season — rather than push up someone like Craig Smith up.
And while it might be tempting to promote a high-end talent like Taylor Hall at left wing, we’ll go with Boston’s offseason trade pickup in Pavel Zacha.
As enticing as it might be to roll with a “Czech-Mate” line of Zacha, Krejci and David Pastrnak — Zacha’s skillset (solid transition game, a heavy shot) and two-way acumen should blend in well on Bergeron’s line, and serves as a soft landing spot for a newcomer that Boston is hoping can tap more into his offensive game.
The case could be made that Zacha could slot into the left wing spot at either the first, second or third line (where he might eventually land once Marchand is back on the ice). But for the time being, what better way to start one’s career in Boston than top-line minutes next to a future Hall of Famer in Bergeron? If that doesn’t get Zacha going …
Taylor Hall - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
“If it ain’t broke …”
Marchand’s extended recovery timeline might have thrown Boston’s top-six configuration out of order for the time being. But if everyone is back healthy by the winter, one has to assume that Boston’s ideal second line will feature David Krejci centering two effective weapons in Hall and Pastrnak.
And if Montgomery is looking to build some chemistry in the early going with his roster amid all these injuries, perhaps the best move is to commit to one line that, barring additional injuries, really shouldn’t need all that much tweaking over time.
Yes, Krejci is another year older and the quality of competition he faced in the Czech Extraliga is a tier or two below the NHL ranks, but his playmaking talents should still yield very positive results next to a former No. 1 pick in Hall and one of the top snipers in the game in Pastrnak.
Hall and Krejci’s dominant production during their short time together in 2021 (Boston outscored opponents, 14-1, in their 193:13 of 5v5 ice time together) won’t be sustainable in 2022-23, but that’s enough of a sample size to warrant keeping those two together for the long haul.
As for Pastrnak, Boston has the luxury of keeping him with his fellow countryman in Krejci now that DeBrusk has showcased the ability to handle top-six duties at RW — with extended reps for 88 + 46 standing as a surefire way to boost the morale of both Czech forwards.
But beyond the good tidings generated by keeping Pastrnak with Krejci, the Bruins should be giddy about the amount of damage a 71-46-88 line could unleash in the O-zone — with a strong start for that trio also taking some of the pressure off of a Zacha-Bergeron-DeBrusk line that might need some time to gel in the early going.
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
With Bergeron and Krejci back, Charlie Coyle is all but a lock to continue his role as Boston’s 3C — with the Weymouth native looking to build off a 2021-22 season that, all things considered, was a step in the right direction following an injury-riddled 2020-21 campaign.
But beyond Coyle down the middle, the makeup of Boston’s third line is a bit murky — and could look drastically different in April when compared to what trio the B’s opt for in the fall.
For now, we’ll reunite the same grouping that Boston closed last season with: Coyle, Trent Frederic and Smith.
This stands as a pivotal season for both Frederic and Smith — the latter of which has already seen his name pop up in various trade rumors this offseason.
That 3RW spot could become a very appealing landing spot for a youngster like Fabian Lysell if he dazzles during the preseason, but we’ll keep our expectations in check here and keep Smith in place — with Lysell cutting his teeth down in Providence to open the season.
Long-term, a potential 20-goal scorer like Zacha probably stands as the best fit at 3LW, but Frederic will likely get the first call — with the physical forward stuck at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to his role at the NHL level.
Frederic’s sandpaper style of play could make him a fourth-line stalwart if Boston can get the 24-year-old to tap into that antagonistic mindset (without taking ill-timed penalties, of course). But perhaps Montgomery and Co. think that there is still another level that Frederic can reach, where he develops into more of a third-line, power-forward regular as opposed to a checking-line grinder with some thump.
Whether Frederic’s ceiling is, Boston needs to carve out a role for him in the early going and have him stick with it.
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Oskar Steen
For all of the roster juggling and missing star power that is set to throw Boston’s lineup out of whack, it’s a bit ironic that the line I’m most unsure about in terms of the personnel involved is the fourth line.
There’s no shortage of viable candidates when it comes to rounding out Boston’s forward corps, with veterans like Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek complimented with youngsters such as Marc McLaughlin, Oskar Steen, Johnny Beecher and even free-agent signings like A.J. Greer.
At the end of the season, a fourth line featuring some assortment of Frederic, Beecher, Steen and McLaughlin would likely stand as my favored scenario — with Boston embracing a youth movement in an area of the depth chart where prospects like Frederic and Beecher should thrive and carve out established roles on this team.
But to open the year, we’ll go with the conservative approach and pencil in both Foligno and Nosek for starting roles.
Given his drop-off in terms of tangible production — coupled with his $3.8 million cap hit — Foligno seemed like an easy buyout candidate this offseason as Boston looked to manufacture some fiscal flexibility.
But instead, Boston opted to keep Foligno beyond any buyout window. And given that any trade involving the 34-year-old veteran would almost have to include Boston adding some sweeteners to entice a team to take on that contract, it does seem as though Boston wants to stick with the former Columbus captain and see if he has anything left in the tank — at least in the early going.
As for Nosek, the 29-year-old pivot stands as a safe option down the middle to open the season, while we’ll opt for Steen getting the first look at the 4RW spot, especially considering that he’d be exposed to waivers with another assignment to Providence, unlike another candidate for that spot like McLaughlin.
DEFENSE
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo
The Bruins will be without their franchise blueliner in McAvoy for the first month or two, but Boston at least has a top-pairing stalwart still in place in Hampus Lindholm — who is set to enter his first full season in a black-and-gold sweater.
He was only limited to 14 total games with Boston last season, but Lindholm was as advertised when he was on the ice, logging heavy minutes, aiding the B’s transition game and chipping in offensively by way of his playmaking talents.
Boston will need to rely on Lindholm heavily out of the gate, especially given the lack of proven, top-four talent on Boston’s D corps.
On paper, a top pairing of Lindholm and Brandon Carlo should be a more-than-suitable stopgap solution for Boston — given Carlo’s ceiling as a stay-at-home, defensive stalwart. But the 2021-22 season was often marred by inconsistent play for Carlo, especially during his short time together with Lindholm.
While Boston could have likely benefitted from sticking McAvoy and Grzelcyk together last season, the struggles of a Lindholm-Carlo duo took such an option off the table — with Boston outscored, 2-0, in their 20:25 of 5v5 ice time together.
Boston will be hoping that was just a blip in a very small sample size, because the B’s are going to need both Lindholm and Carlo to log 22+ minutes night in and night out in October and November.
Mike Reilly - Jakub Zboril
In a perfect scenario, the Bruins likely wouldn’t want to hand 18-20 minutes a night to a veteran in Reilly coming off of a very tough season — along with a young skater in Zboril who underwent ACL injury last December.
Alas, this is the hand that the B’s have been dealt. And if you’re a “glass half full” type of person, you could make the case that this temporary second pairing can (and should) offer a lot more this season.
For as much as Reilly sure seems like an expendable asset when both McAvoy and Grzelcyk do return, the B’s need his playmaking skills in the immediate future — and as showcased during his sterling first season with Boston in 2021, Reilly has the tools to really be an effective weapon in this D corps, and should stand to benefit with Montgomery taking over.
As for Zboril, the awful timing with his knee injury was the only thing that prevented him from potentially carving out a full-time role on last year’s roster, because he sure looked the part during his 10-game stint up with Boston in 2021.
Given Zboril’s ability to play the right side — along with the strong numbers that a Reilly-Zboril pairing put forth last season (Boston outshot teams, 66-36, in their 90:55 of 5v5 ice time last year) — this duo could surprise many this fall.
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
If Boston is looking for any sort of consistency on a banged-up defense, it might as well stick with a Forbort-Clifton pairing that logged the second-most 5v5 minutes of any D pairing on the roster (529:19) last season.
They certainly aren’t flashy, but Forbort and Clifton are reliable foot soldiers that can carry out their role further down the depth chart — with Forbort expected to earn a hefty amount of PK reps alongside Carlo once again this year.
GOALTENDERS
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
No need to spend much time here. The Bruins will once again roll with Swayman and Ullmark — with Boston banking on Swayman taking another major step forward in his young career, and Ullmark once again serving as a safety blanket in case his fellow netminder hits some bumps in the road.
The main question, of course, will be how the reps will be allocated between both goalies. After closing out the postseason with five straight starts, we’ll tab Swayman as the starter on Opening Night. But even if that’s the case, I’d still expect a similar 55/45 split in terms of starts between both netminders.
OTHER NOTES
Among the three B’s prospects taking part in the 2022 World Junior Championships (Fabian Lysell - Sweden, Riley Duran - USA, Dans Locmelis - Latvia), Locmelis might have had the least amount of pressure on him, considering Latvia’s low expectations entering the tournament.
But give credit where it’s due. Locmelis was a key cog for his team throughout the tournament, helping Latvia achieve its best-ever finish at World Juniors — advancing to the quarterfinals after upsetting Czechia in the prelims.
And even though Locmelis and Latvia fell to Lysell and Team Sweden, 2-1, in the quarterfinals, Locmelis earned Player of the Game after logging top-six minutes and orchestrating his team’s equalizing goal at the time.
Gustavs Ozolins from Dans Locmelis. Tie ballgame 1-1 @BSUBeaversMHKY #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/Fko6AAmlKc
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) August 17, 2022
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Yes, I know a small grouping of B’s fans are not thrilled with Boston opting for one last kick at the can with this current core in place — but look on the bright side.
At least you’re not the Islanders.
After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for two years in a row, Lou Lamoriello has done next to nothing to put that roster over the top — culminating in an offseason in which the Isles fired Barry Trotz and have been linked to top UFA targets like Johnny Gaudreau and Nazem Kadri, only to sit on the sidelines as they head elsewhere.
Boston’s goals might be short-sighted, sure. But at least they’re trying to play their best hand at the tables. The Islanders, meanwhile, seem content on just letting this window peter out.