8 things that Bruins fans should be thankful for so far this season

With Turkey Day finally upon us — and the 17-3-0 Bruins still steamrolling through the rest of the NHL — I think it’s fair to say that B’s fans have had a lot to be thankful for so far in the 2022-23 campaign.

As such, we thought that it would be fitting to run through our list of things that B’s fans should be thanking the Hockey Gods for as it pertains to their club. And given Boston’s record … there's plenty of praise to go around.

1. The return of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci

Sure, Jim Montgomery’s addition behind the bench has given Boston a spark this season. A number of bottom-six stalwarts and contributors further down the depth chart have all pulled on the same rope. And in net, Linus Ullmark is looking like a viable Vezina Trophy candidate.

An awful lot has gone right for this team in the early going, no question.

But let’s be frank. This team isn’t going scorched earth against the rest of the league — hell, they may not even be .500 — if this franchise wasn’t buoyed by the return of Bergeron and Krejci at the center position.

With both pivots in place, Montgomery has had the freedom to augment his lineup as he’s seen fit, considering he has a set grouping down the middle that can positively impact the game down both ends of the ice.

And make no mistake, despite all of the mileage that both forwards have logged over their extensive careers up in the NHL, both Bergeron and Krejci haven’t seen their game slip at all. 

In Bergeron’s case, you could even make the argument that the 37-year-old forward — fresh off of putting together his finest defensive season yet in 2021-22 — is playing at an even higher level so far this year. 

And even though Montgomery has continued to shuffle through Boston’s lineup in order to find the right pieces to slot around Krejci, the playmaking center is still racking up points in the early going (15 points in 17 games). 

But beyond their sizable on-ice contributions, there’s a lot to be said for what Bergeron and Krejci’s respective returns have meant to the rest of the roster when it comes to galvanizing a room that’s well aware of the urgency and stakes involved with what could be their veteran leaders’ last kick at the can. 

"As a team, we can't take this for granted,” Charlie McAvoy said of Bergeron/Krejci’s return on the Pass The Torch podcast. “Like, these guys are coming back. They're pushing it. They're giving you everything that's left in the tank, those two guys. And you can't count on them extending past this year. This is our year to go for it. And we have to realize that and make sure we're not leaving anything on the table.”

2. Jim Montgomery’s tweaks on and off the ice

Yours truly was far from the only one who was steamed when the Bruins opted to move on from Bruce Cassidy last summer — with the successful bench boss shouldering most of the blame for a roster that has been plagued by a lack of young, pro-ready talent and the necessary depth needed to traverse through a long playoff grind.

Now, close to half a year removed from Cassidy’s dismissal, I think we can augment our overall stance as it pertains to the state of Boston’s coaching corps. 

There’s no question that Cassidy is still a fantastic coach — as evidenced by the play of the Vegas Golden Knights out west. 

But you can still make such a case while also acknowledging that perhaps Cassidy’s time was up in Boston — with a change needed in order to both wake up the room and add new wrinkles to a system that was getting stagnant, at least offensively.

Because so far, Montgomery has pushed all of the right buttons when it comes to orchestrating this strong start for Boston — be it his focus on quality over quantity in the offensive zone, spacing in transition and more transparent communication style. 

With a lot of high-end talent at the top of the lineup and a stingy, refined zone defense already in place, the Bruins already had a strong foundation entrenched once Montgomery took the reins of the team.

But so far, his various tweaks, shuffles and messages have clearly resonated with a roster that is making strides in just about every area of the game. 

If only he supported an esteemed institute of higher learning within the Boston area...

3. Scott Waugh and the B’s medical staff

The players (and coaches) earn most of the praise when it comes to the results put forth by a team, but there are always a number of hard-working individuals away from the ice who serve as key cogs in a franchise’s overall operation. 

Be it video staff, analytics staff, equipment staff and many more sectors, the Bruins have been aided by a number of off-ice individuals so far this season — but we’ll put together a stick tap for Scott Waugh and his group for their contributions so far in 2022-23. 

Because if it wasn’t for Waugh — the B’s Manager of Player Rehabilitation – a number of lineup stalwarts on this team very well could have still been on the shelf at this juncture of the season. 

If there’s been one correlation found between the early returns of players like Brad Marchand, Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy, it’s been the praise doled out by the players for Waugh and his team. 

And even though their rehab schedules have all landed far ahead of schedule (and the same could be said for other players who have been banged up like Taylor Hall and Jake DeBrusk), those accelerated timelines haven’t been at the detriment of the production for these banged-up bodies.

Whether it be Marchand returning five weeks ahead of schedule from hip surgery (and posting 16 points in 12 games) or McAvoy returning from shoulder surgery before his late-November target date and anchoring Boston’s D corps once again (21:31 ATOI, 10 points in seven games) — the Bruins have benefitted tremendously from these key reinforcements arriving way ahead of schedule.

4. Linus Ullmark’s poise in net

Whether it be the comfort of finally settling into a pressure-heavy market like Boston or just better mechanics between the pipes, Ullmark’s play so far this season has arguably been the main factor that has facilitated Boston’s strong start.

Whether it be withstanding volleys of high-danger chances in mid-October while Boston’s D-zone structure was still sorting things out, or keeping his club in low-scoring contests — Ullmark has been the constant that has allowed Boston to rack up points at a steady clip through these first two months. 

Ullmark was already a very solid NHLer last season (a year in which he drew plenty of detractors for his $5 million annual cap hit), but right now he's looking like a potential Vezina candidate — with the 29-year-old goalie 13-1-0 on the season with a .935 save percentage.

And when you factor in Jeremy Swayman's slow start to the season, this Bruins team could have found itself in a number of 6-4 wins (and losses) in the early going if Ullmark wasn't on his game. 

5. Nick Foligno’s renaissance

From buyout candidate over the summer to waiver-wire casualty at the end of the preseason … it’s been quite the journey for Foligno over the last few months.

But given the veteran forward credit. He’s not just serving as a fourth-line foot solider whose value is justified by way of his off-ice influence and other intangibles.

No — in the span of just a few months, Foligno has gone from a guy whose contract was hard to justify … to a key contributor well worth the $3.8 million cap hit he’s commanded.

Yes, there’s no question that Foligno’s presence in the room is valued by the rest of his teammates, and there is merit in having that on a roster with Cup aspirations. But those traits can only carry you so far when it comes to making good on your contract — and Foligno has flipped plenty of the narratives regarding just how much he has left in the tank.

Producing at a 45-point pace over a full season (11 points in 20 games) has helped support Foligno’s preseason predictions of a bounce-back campaign being on the horizon. But when you factor in all of the other things he does for this team — screening goalies, scrapping down low and standing up for his teammates in scratch — Foligno has been an essential piece of the puzzle for this team so far.

A whole bunch of us got this one wrong, myself included. 

6. A legit one-two punch on defense

As tempting as it can be to roll out a super-pairing on defense capable of snuffing out scoring chances (and generating looks down the other end of the ice) with ease for 24+ minutes a night, there’s value in splitting up your top blueliners in order to dictate play for a far longer stretch of time.

Look no further than a team like the Lightning, who won two Cups (and went to another) when they had a defense where both Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh could anchor different pairings and give you a dominant top-four group.

And with McAvoy back and Hampus Lindholm elevating his game to another level this season, the Bruins have a defensive unit that can roll out arguably a top-15 D-man for 45-50 minutes of a 60-minute contest.

McAvoy’s strong play shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to Bruins fans, but Lindholm has gone from “very good No. 2 option” to a legit top-pairing force in his own right — with the 28-year-old skater averaging 24:10 of ice time to go along with 18 points in 20 games. 

It’s to be expected that Montgomery will reunite the 27-73 duo at times this season, especially when Boston is either trailing late or protecting a one-goal lead. 

But having the luxury to split those two up is a game-changer for the B’s when it comes to spreading the wealth of high-end talent across the defense — while also getting more out of both Matt Grzelcyk and especially Connor Clifton, who has been another major surprise for this team out of the gate. 

7. Contributions up and down the lineup

We touched on this when we revisited our preseason rankings and focused in on viable candidates for the B’s 7th Player Award. At this point, it seems like key pieces like Ullmark, Foligno and Lindholm are the leaders of the pack in terms of potential votes — but man, there are a whole lot of worthy contenders here on this roster.

I mean, go down the list:

What about Charlie Coyle — who is on pace for 25 goals, but has made most of his impact defensively as Boston’s top PK forward (3:00 SH TOI per game) and a two-way regular on the third line?

Pavel Zacha, perhaps? After all, he’s been effective across the lineup in the various roles that Montgomery has assigned him.

Maybe Connor Clifton — who has gone from the role of depth defenseman to a regular D partner next to Lindholm?

And even though he’s injured, Derek Forbort was a rock on defense in the early days of the season — with Boston going 30 for 32 on the PK when he was in the lineup. (They’re 34 for 43 since he broke his finger on Nov. 1). 

Add in names like A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek … the list goes on and on.

8. Plenty of goalie hugs

Never gets old, does it?

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!