Donnelly: 10 questions facing the Bruins at the start of training camp

The Bruins will open training camp on Wednesday with players reporting for off-ice testing before on-ice sessions begin Thursday. 

Boston's brass and fans will get their first look at the Black and Gold in game action as soon as Sunday as the New York Rangers come to TD Garden for the first game of the preseason. 

Here is the Bruins' full training camp roster:

Forwards: Joey Abate, Vincent Arseneau, John Beecher, Jesper Boqvist, Justin Brazeau, Patrick Brown,  Alex Chiasson, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, John Farinacci, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, A.J. Greer, Curtis Hall, Brett Harrison, Danton Heinen, Trevor Kuntar, Jakub Lauko, Milan Lucic, Fabian Lysell, Brad Marchand, Marc McLaughlin, Jayson Megna, Georgii Merkulov, David Pastrnak, Owen Pederson, Matt Poitras, Anthony Richard, Oskar Steen, Luke Toporowski, James van Riemsdyk, Pavel Zacha  

Defensemen: Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Brandon Carlo, Jackson Edward, Derek Forbort, Matthew Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Ryan Mast, Charlie McAvoy, Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Dan Renouf, Ethan Ritchie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Reilly Walsh, Parker Wotherspoon, Jakub Zboril  

Goaltenders: Brandon Bussi, Michael DiPietro, Kyle Keyser, Shane Starrett, Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark 

Beyond a fresh set of uniforms for the centennial season, much will be different about the 2023-24 Boston Bruins, whether it's the absences of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the litany of departures in the offseason or a number of fresh faces vying to carve out roles.

Before we know it, the season-opener will be here on Oct. 11 at TD Garden against Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

But there will undoubtedly be plenty to unpack as training camp unfolds over the next few weeks. So, here are 10 questions facing the Bruins at the dawn of a new season: 

How will Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle fare as top-six centers?

Perhaps the biggest question staring the B's in the face as the season draws near is how they will account for the absences of Bergeron and Krejci. As things currently stand, it'll be up to Coyle and Zacha to take on those responsibilities as the team's top two pivots. Zacha showed well in Krejci's absence at various points during the regular season and in the playoffs, displaying strong chemistry with countryman and 60-goal scorer David Pastrnak, but his skill at the dot needs more work. Coyle looked the part and meshed with Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk in small samples in the regular season and in Games 3 and 4 of the playoffs. To this point, he's never been able to stick as a top-six center, despite his toolkit and flashes.

The time is now for them to take the next step in their careers.

"You know, we saw Zacha take a huge step last year, and we expect another big one from him again this year," Marchand said Saturday. "Same with Coyle, who's kind of been riding that third spot for a while now. He's going to get a huge opportunity to play a lot of big minutes in big situations. ... I expect them to take full ownership of that, and kind of thrive with the opportunity they're given."

Jim Montgomery feels their ready for the chance. 

"Well, because they both can handle a lot of minutes, A). And both of them are coming into believing who they are and how they need to play – regardless of who they're playing with – how they bring success to the Bruins and how they impact games on both ends," Montgomery said last week. "So I like we're really comfortable, especially after seeing them in big games and games three and four, play 19 to 20 minutes play as well as they didn't know I'm hoping they don't have to play 20 minutes at night. But we know they can handle that you know and that they can handle all three zones." 

What will aid them is strong linemates. Coyle should have DeBrusk on his right, entering his prime, and a 100 percent Marchand on his left. Pastrnak alone can lead to residual production for Zacha.

"I thought he stepped up. ... I thought he was solid in those games," DeBrusk said of his stint with Coyle in the playoffs. "I've played with Charlie before as well with different guys on the left and the right. So I feel comfortable playing with Charlie. I always have. I think he's a guy that always has good starts and comes to camp ready and prepared." 

Pastrnak said of Zacha on Monday, "So we played with Pav, same language, same nationality. It’s a very easy transition to play with him. He’s a very smart hockey player. He can adapt. Not every hockey player has that talent to adapt to the other players, and he has it. I think it’s gonna be very easy for him to adapt — either if he’s playing center or on the wing or [with different] linemates. I obviously had some great games with him and got to know him a lot. So excited to see what he got for us this year.”

Can Jake DeBrusk become a go-to player?

The 26-year-old is about to enter his best years as an athlete as he begins a contract year as well. Few have ridden the rollercoaster quite like DeBrusk over the last two seasons, from appearing to be on the outs with a public trade request to becoming a fairly reliable player in all three zones and a valued goal-scorer. 

Much of that transformation came alongside Marchand and Bergeron, the latter of which will not be down the middle doing his part to cover up mistakes that may unfold around him. With a new center between No. 74 and Marchand, DeBrusk will have to continue to elevate his game to help alleviate the loss of Bergeron. 

"Obviously, riding shotgun with him for two years, I'm going to miss him," DeBrusk said, now understanding what it takes to succeed on a top line. "With the you know, the attention and like just the fact that you're playing against the best lines every single day. You've got to be ready to go or else you're going to get embarrassed or lose your spot on that line. So it kind of brought a new look on that side of things."

Like Coyle and Zacha, Montgomery feels DeBrusk is able and willing to meet the challenge. 

"He's going into the prime of his career. I think he's ready to be a go-to player and not a player, not a complimentary player but a player that drives a line," Montgomery said. "He and I have spoken a lot about that, you know, saying he was really good for us for 90 percent of the games. Well, Bergeron I could rely on for 100 percent of games. So there's 10 percent that needs to be made up, right? And he's got to carry a little bit of that weight. Not only him but a lot of others. I think mentally he wants that, and he's ready for that." 

DeBrusk's start to the season – as well as the Bruins' results as the trade deadline nears – could go a long way in determining if he will land a long-term extension in Boston. If he stays healthy, this could finally be his 30-goal breakout, too.

"I'm just getting ready for Game 1. I think it's just getting to my game, and when it comes to contract talks, you need two sides to tango," DeBrusk said of his outlook. "Whenever that happens, it happens. It's one of those things that's not necessarily my main focus. Obviously, it's a big year for our team in general, and I know that if I'm doing my part and having success with production and certain things, that will help our team. So I think it goes hand in hand. I'm just ready to get the season started. I'm excited for it. And you know, it's just about staying healthy."

How will the goaltending reps shake out?

The odds say Linus Ullmark is due for a regression of some kind, even if only slightly. It would be near impossible for him to replicate the video game numbers he put forth last season. But if he falters more than expected, Jeremy Swayman will be right there ready to prove he can be the 1a or even full No. 1 as he searches for a long-term contract next offseason. 

The tandem served Boston well last season until they ditched it in the playoffs and Ullmark's body broke down. But in the regular season, it's helped the B's get the most of both players, boasting perhaps the best goaltending situation in the league. 

"On the ice, him and I know that if we're not elevating our game every single day, that one of the other guys is gonna take over the net, and we're not going to get each other better and we're not going to help this team get better," Swayman said earlier in the offseason. "So that kind of mentality that we've had has taken care of itself because we know that if we compete with each other at the highest level, we're gonna give our team a chance to win any given night."

Ullmark started 48 games to Swayman's 33 last season. It's not unreasonable to expect those numbers to pull much more even with each other. Ullmark took on the more challenging reps last season. frequently starting against the top playoff contenders. More of those duties could fall to Swayman this season, especially if the Bruins still feel they need to deduce whether or not he is the starter of the future. 

Can Trent Frederic take another step, either as a center or a winger?

Coming off a breakout 17-goal, 31-point season while averaging just 11:55 of ice time, Frederic avoided arbitration with a new two-year contract ($2.3 million AAV). He was a nice complimentary piece on the wing alongside Coyle and Hall for much of last season. Without those safety nets, more will be asked of him, especially if he wants to prove he can make it as a center in the NHL. He understands the duties of a 3C after watching Coyle serve as a mentor and one of the league's best in that capacity. The next step for No. 11 will be improving his craft at the dot and developing the consistency to become someone who can help drive his line, rather than playing passenger. Perhaps a larger special teams role can help him unlock a new level with more responsibility. 

“Yeah, I would like to get involved in special teams in some way,” Frederic said over the summer. “I guess that's all in my play. I'm sure with people kind of moving on or going to different teams, there should be more openings for that than there has been the past few years. I guess that will all trickle out at camp. But yeah, I would like to play more special teams. It's hard just playing 5-on-5 at times because you can lose some flow in the game. Even a little bit of killing and stuff like that goes a long way. You're not just sitting there getting cold, so I think sometimes playing those other special teams gives you a better opportunity 5-on-5. It would be awesome if I get the chance to do any of those.” 

How will the bottom-six shake out?

Where Frederic is at during camp will play a factor in this. He and Morgan Geekie are the likely candidates to take on 3C duties. There will be another spot on the third line up for grabs, and even if Milan Lucic will likely be there in some capacity, the fourth line could go in a multitude of different directions.

Internal competition has been the name of the game, considering the Bruins could create an entire forward lineup (and more) with the players looking for work in depth roles – Frederic, Geekie, Lucic, Jakub Lauko, A.J. Greer, Patrick Brown, Jayson Megna, Danton Heinen, Alex Chiasson, Marc McLaughlin, John Beecher, Jesper Boqvist, John Farinacci, Oskar Steen and more.

The Bruins love the challenges they've created, figuring the cream will rise to the top. The ask of all the bottom-sixers is simple in Boston's eyes. 

“Players that are gonna have an impact on games that are gonna make us better and relish their roles,” Montgomery said of the bottom-six identity. “You lose guys … We lost [Tomas] Nosek. I stuck him out there on defensive-zone draws, he got a bad hand dealt by me, but he loved it. He relished it. And he moves the puck from the D zone to the offensive zone. You need players like that, that aren’t going to worry about how they’re being used, but care about how they’re helping the team win.”

As for Lucic, the B's still feel he can make an impact on the fourth unit, similar to how Foligno evolved in 2022-23, but carrying more weight because of his stature within the organization, especially on home ice.

"I think Pasta won't get hit as much and Marchy won't get hit as much cause Looch is in the lineup, but I'm still going to want Looch to be a person that decides momentum in the games," Montgomery said. "Going out there, his line, after a goal is scored against or for carrying the momentum of the team. Recognizing when we're losing momentum and going out there and making a big hit or getting to the net-front, crashing the net."

Which young players can crack the team out of camp?

This ultimately goes hand-in-hand with the above question. There are jobs available. 

While Fabian Lysell, Mason Lohrei and Georgii Merkulov present some of the best skillsets in the system that are closest to making an impact (Matthew Poitras still needs time to physically mature), their toolkits do not match the openings the Bruins have, unless they push a veteran out of a spot. Boston returns the same defense that got them out to a 48-8-5 record at the trade deadline last year, giving Lohrei the unenviable and unlikely task of trying to unseat someone. Lysell and Merkulov are not built for fourth-line duty. Their chance will be to claim a top-six role or prove they can be trusted enough away from the puck to play on the third line. 

But at the end of the day, nearly all of the jobs that are there for the taking are amongst the depth. 

“It’s definitely something that you look at and it’s enticing,” Beecher said last week of the chance to carve out a role, given Boston's vacancies. “Obviously, everybody coming into camp wants to have a shot, and this year there’s a bunch of opportunities, so I’ve just got to go into camp and try my best.”

Beecher and McLaughlin play heavy, responsible styles that make them strong fits for any fourth line. Beecher's speed is especially what could set him apart. Steen has proven in the past he can make it as an energetic forechecker. While already one of their better prospects, Farinacci is still fairly unknown but has similar qualities in his 200-foot game with some additional skill that could help him rise above his peers.

Even with an incredibly crowded depth chart around them, Boston is eager to see what they have in the youngsters. They want them to challenge the veterans and raise eyebrows as camp moves along. 

“There’s no doubt there’s way more jobs that are open, right? And competition is great,” Montgomery said. “And I do think that we are all hoping that there’s going to be pleasant surprises that are going to make the team — kind of like Lauko did and A.J. Greer did out of camp last year.”

P-Bruins coach Ryan Mougenel added last weke, "That was our message today that, you know, that's what we want to see. We want to see the competitive spirit. Figure out what your brand is for us. I think we have a lot of young players that did a really good job last year, especially in Providence, doing that. I'm excited to see a lot of guys. ... We're excited to see what we have."

Can the defense and goaltending help alleviate the losses up front?

Boston's top producers – Pastrnak, Marchand and DeBrusk – will likely get theirs no matter what. It comes down to whether or not players like Geekie, Coyle and Zacha can make strides with more opportunity. Can James van Riemsdyk prove that last season was a product of the mess in Philadelphia?

The B's won't be the same high-flying team, but their bedrock remains. The blue line was the league's best last season even before adding Dmitry Orlov, and the same group is back. Their goaltending situation is one that nearly every other team in the league would kill for. 

Bergeron and Nosek are no longer around to ply their expert defensive crafts. There will not be the same level of run support as last season's ludicrous output. More will fall onto the defense's shoulders alone as the foundation of the team's success. But with Ullmark or Swayman in net, Boston will have a chance to win every night. 

"I think with our who our goalies are and with our D core, we're clearly in the top of the league in those departments," Montgomery said. "And, you know, it's probably going to rely a lot more on our D-men as far as how we play and our team identity of them having more of an impact at all 200 feet of the ice. Not only scoring but also we had four centers last year who all knew how we played our D zone, right? So we killed a lot of plays because of them. We might need [the D] to kill a lot more plays in the offensive zone or in the neutral zone with their skating ability and their hockey sense and competitive level so we don't end up in our D zone because we don't have those same letters coming back. Those are things that we think that we can ask our D core to do and that they probably want to do."

Lindholm said, "I think it's gonna be even more important this year that we step it up even more. I think we have a lot of guys to have a lot of potential to do even more, me included. So super excited about that started." 

Who will assume the captaincy?

EDIT: The Bruins answered this question almost immediately at the start of camp, naming Marchand as captain, the likely choice. 

The Bruins will have a captain, as Montgomery confirmed last week. There are a few candidates, although Marchand and McAvoy have been the favorites in the clubhouse throughout the summer. McAvoy could be viewed as the eventual next-in-line, but Marchand is the easy, obvious choice to succeed Bergeron with the 'C.' No. 63 has put in his time and has earned the opportunity to meet the challenge of replacing No. 37. 

"It'd be cool, but you know, it's not something I'm really focused on," Marchand said of the captaincy, echoing a frequent theme of his thoughts on it. "I don't need a letter to be a leader. I mean, I know my place on this team, and I know what I do and where my value is. That's kind of the way it's always been in our room. Bergy was a co-captain with Zee a long time before he wore the 'C.' You know, respect's earned. It's not given because you have a letter on your jersey. That's something that you're taught pretty early on here. You've got to earn everything you're given. So, regardless of how that all plays out, I know what I need to do and where I need to help in the room leadership-wise. That won't change."

Marchand will have his own style. When asked of what makes a good captain, a few common themes arose with Montgomery, Lindholm, DeBrusk, Carlo and Cam Neely – being able to help teammates but also hold everyone accountable, while consistently being the hardest-working player on and off the ice.

"First and foremost, you want somebody that comes to play and hard to work hard every day," Neely said of his ideal captain. "I think we've seen that through captains, you know, from Ray [Bourque] to Chara to Bergy, where you know, they're the hardest working guys on the ice. There's no better way to lead than by showing."

Few are better at setting the tone in that way like Marchand. Beneath him, it'll be the next wave of McAvoy, Carlo, Pastrnak, Coyle and Zacha taking the reigns.  

How will Jim Montgomery evolve as a coach?

Montgomery's positivity transformed the Bruins last season, but the 2023-24 season will not be as smooth of a ride. How will he handle having to become the bad cop more often during slumps? 

It also helped to have Bergeron there as almost a second coach to handle the room, as Montgomery noted many times last season. Marchand, McAvoy or whoever else becomes captain will lead in different ways than No. 37. How will Montgomery and the next captain handle the room in conjunction with each other? 

Montgomery was also among several B's who left a lot to be desired in the playoffs last season, between misgivings like overworking Ullmark, scrapping the tandem, questionable lineup decisions (especially as Boston's lead began to crumble) and more. It will be incumbent upon him to learn and grow from his mistakes alongside with the entire team. 

Can the Bruins respond to last season like others in their shoes?

Like other counterparts that had dominant and even historic regular seasons – the 1996 Detroit Red Wings, the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning and the 2022 Florida Panthers – Boston fell flat on its face in the first round of the playoffs. 

But the Red Wings stormed back and won the Stanley Cup in 1997, the first of what turned into a dynasty over a decade-plus. The Lightning responded to their embarrassment with the first of two straight Cups and three straight trips to the Final in 2020. The Panthers landed on their feet, as most cats do, upended the mighty Bruins and marched to the Final in 2023. 

They probably won't be the last team into the playoffs like Florida, but the B's will be subscribing to their 'just get in' model. Can they go on the same type of run if and when they get there?