NHL Notebook: Are we … underrating this Bruins team?

Bruins fans aren’t exactly a patient - or optimistic - lot. And I mean that with all due respect.

I mean, let’s face it, we really can’t help ourselves.

It’s in our blood here in the Commonwealth, where Murphy’s Law is embraced as the norm, rather than an outlier of bad fortune.

Between our childhood days spent in a packed SUV that’s mired in Cape traffic, to an adulthood where our commuting schedule hinges on whether or not the Orange Line can avoid bursting into flames … it’s tough to enjoy the ride of day-to-day life when we’re so used to things going wrong.

And that’s why even in sports — an activity that traditionally serves as an escape from the headaches of everyday life — we tend to always expect the worst. 

For all of the titles and parades that have come through this city, it’s often been countered with a potent dose of heightened expectations, doomsday scenarios and a disdain for silver linings and moral victories. 

It’s an exercise that some other markets might deem short-sighted and sour. But most of that pessimism is born out of passion — and the context of the 2022-23 Bruins … most of the concerns and fears regarding this roster are rooted in valid concerns. 

After all, this is a franchise that has been operating on borrowed time for years now, with the only thing saving this club from a nuclear winter of a rebuild being the return of a pair of 37 and 36-year-old pivots. 

Aside from the fact that Boston’s contention window is being kept ajar by a veteran core that is now another year older, the B’s are also expected to tread water for the first month-plus of regular-season action — their lineup sapped of assured production and star talent with both Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand still on the shelf.

Toss in a trademark unpredictability of a sport where a whole season can sometimes rest on the fortunes of one fluttering puck, and one could see why some Bruins fans are skeptical of what exactly moves the needle for this current team — especially when contrasted with previous iterations that featured a lot of the same supporting cast.

Of course, the Bruins themselves seem to be buying into talk of this being a “Last Dance” type of season — one in which the urgency brought upon by the age of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci could further galvanize this group.

“I think it’s very fair,” Cam Neely said of the validity of this season being viewed as one last run for this group. “We talked about earlier with Bergy — it’s really up to him, and I think with Krejci the same way. These guys have had long, successful careers. Like I said, I think this group in the locker room feels like something special can happen this year. It’s a close team, and when I say team, it’s a real team. I think their teammates look at this and say this might be the last year we have the ability to play with these guys, so let's take as much advantage as we can. That's the feeling I get inside the locker room.” 

Of course, such positive sentiment shared by a team ahead of a new season is far from a surprise. But it’s another leap of faith entirely when someone like yours truly also buys into talk of good fortune ahead for this team.

Granted, I knew I was asking for trouble when I proclaimed last week that the Bruins were going to hoist the Cup in June.

So what went into my thinking for issuing such a declaration? 

Am I a homer? Well, I sure don’t believe so. I’ve been quite critical of this organization and the various missteps that have brought this team to adopt such an ‘all-in’ approach in 2022-23. 

Am I trying to curry favor with the franchise? Again, I think my previous printed musings stand in contrast to such a maneuver. 

Nope, I’m buying into this team for the simple fact that … all signs point to them being a competitive, deep team. And in a game like hockey, sometimes that’s all you need to have a shot. 

Perhaps that’s a cop-out on my end. But despite our conditioned reflex to just assume the worst to play out over the span of an 82-game season, there’s nothing wrong with declaring that a team like this Bruins squad should play at a high level.

As encouraging as it’s been to see the Bruins bury 11 goals through their first two games of the season (by way of 10 different goal scorers), this column isn’t being penned off of the knee-jerk reaction of two games — including one messy win over a cellar-dweller like the Coyotes.

More than anything, it was a prediction brewed up after looking at the rest of the field in the Atlantic Division — a group that, despite its label as the best top-to-bottom assortment of talent in the NHL, does seem poised to take a step back in some regards.

For as much as most discourse surrounding the Bruins has them tabbed as playing second fiddle to teams like the Maple Leafs and Lightning … I don’t really see it. 

The Leafs’ top-six unit up front is a juggernaut and their defense is much improved from what it was in, say, 2018 or 2019. But a tandem of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov was never going to inspire much confidence, and things have only devolved now that Murray is expected to miss more than a month due to an adductor ailment.

The Panthers are an easy regression candidate — not just because of their absurd shooting last season (eight players had a shooting percentage above 14 percent in 2021-22), but because their D corps after Aaron Ekblad is now Gustav Forsling, Radko Gudas and … Marc Staal?

And while the Bolts are still anchored by an elite core and have a netminder in place who can win a couple of rounds by himself, Tampa Bay is still facing another talent drain after losing pieces like Ryan McDonagh and Ondrej Palat — coupled with the fatigue in wake of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Against that field, there’s a lot to like about the Bruins’ odds of asserting themselves near the top of the division, especially if they can weather the storm in October and November. 

For Boston, the impact of having another proven top-six stalwart down the middle in Krejci can’t be understated — giving Boston a two-headed monster up front and creating a potential matchup nightmare for opponents now that David Pastrnak can be separated from the 63 + 37 line. 

Time isn’t on Boston’s side these days, but between the additions of names like Hampus Lindholm on the blue line and Taylor Hall up front, the Bruins do have some high-end talent in place in critical areas of the lineup — while names like Pavel Zacha, A.J. Greer and others offer hope that more secondary-scoring options can present themselves further down the depth chart.

Add in the potential boost that should come from Jim Montgomery’s emphasis on high-quality shots over low-to-high O-zone schemes, and the B’s should have a lot more to give when it comes to even-strength production — an Achilles’ heel that has doomed many fruitful Cup runs over the last few years. 

Do the Bruins need a lot to go their way? Of course. They’re going to need a healthy Jake DeBrusk to probably pot 30 goals this season. They need a young netminder like Jeremy Swayman to take another step forward between the pipes. And, of course, they need to avoid the injury bug.

 But frankly, just about every NHL contender needs a whole lot to go their way if they want to hoist the Stanley Cup. Just ask the Avalanche, who were labeled as second-round underperformers for years before they finally put it all together (and stayed healthy) during their dominant run last spring. 

Are the Bruins the favorites this season? Certainly not. 

But both on paper and from the limited time that we’ve seen them on the ice, there’s a lot to like about what the Bruins are building for this final kick at the can. 

I probably can’t convince you to follow suit and start printing those championship t-shirts at the juncture.

But at the very least, perhaps we can all go against our instincts for the first time in a long time. And simply just enjoy the ride.  

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Stralman trying to keep up in today’s NHL

At 36 years old, Anton Stralman doesn’t have the wheels he once had out there on the ice.

Once a top-four stalwart and steady offensive producer during his time with the Lightning, Stralman's game has evolved over time — serving in more of a dependable, D-zone role since his time with the Coyotes. 

But even in the days when he was a bit more fleet-footed, Stralman believes he would be stuck in quicksand when compared to the uber-skilled talent that is rapidly asserting itself in today’s NHL.

"I think hockey definitely changed from when I entered," Stralman said. “I think it's a lot faster, a lot faster and a lot of the kids that come into the league had a much more technical hockey education with skating and skills coaches that I never had — as you can see out there. So I think that it changed quite a bit over the years. And I think especially around maybe 2012-13 there.”

As the game up in the pro ranks continues to cater more and more to skill and speed, is there any way for the old guard to keep up?

“You can't," Stralman said with a smile. “No, but I think coming up with age and experience — you get some smarts. And that's how you compensate. You learn the game. You study the game. You play and see patterns in teams and individual players. And that's how you can adjust and find a way. I'm not the skater I used to be, but I've added qualities that can make up for that slower system. And you use your head out there, that's what you have to do to stay in the league."

B’s pay tribute to “Chef Keith”

The Bruins took to the ice down in Washington with heavy hearts on Wednesday, as the team announced the night prior that team chef Keith Garman passed away unexpectedly at the age of 33. 

Garman, who served in his role in the B’s organization since 2018, was an integral cog in the behind-the-scenes operation that helps put pro athletes in the best position to succeed night in and night out — tasked with crafting breakfast, lunch and oftentimes dinner for an entire roster that had plenty of individual tastes and preferences.

Garman was honored with a moment of silence just ahead of puck drop on Saturday night.

 "Yesterday was a horrible, horrible day, for all of us," Patrice Bergeron said Wednesday. "Chef Keith was a big part of our team and family and organization. I think everyone that is within the organization has to go through his kitchen every day. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, or even dinnertime. I mean, I'm at a loss for words, to be honest with you. Our thoughts and prayers to his whole family — we send them love and comfort during a difficult time. But he's not gonna be forgotten, obviously. As I said, we're all shook and shocked and saddened. 

"His work ethic really is the first thing that comes to mind, when I talk about Chef Keith — he was there at the crack of dawn to cook us the best meals and always had a smile on his face. ... In the house, you feel like you're always drawn to the kitchen, right? Like, it was the same thing in his kitchen. Everyone would have to go through him and talk to him and he was always — especially in a tough, stressful hockey season, he always had the right words to calm us down and to cook us a good meal. So a very sad day. As I said, thoughts and prayers to his whole family and friends and his girlfriend and his parents."

Down on the farm

Good to see Fabian Lysell make his presence felt right away down in the AHL ranks, with the B’s top prospect snapping a puck into twine in his debut with the Providence Bruins on Friday - a 3-1 win over the Bridgeport Islanders.

Elsewhere, Riley Duran is looking more and more like a great value pick for the B’s in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Duran, who impressed this summer in a bottom-six role for Team USA at the 2022 World Junior championships, has now scored four goals and posted five points through the first three games of his sophomore campaign at Providence College.