How do you think the Bruins are going to do this year?

[Lose Remerswaal]

I have to say, I cannot ever recall going into a Bruins season with lower expectations of how the team would do than I do this year.  I think I've always expected at least a playoff spot, even after the strike when they came in last, but I just don't see the talent in this team to compete for a playoff spot.  I'm not expecting the team to be historically bad, in terms of NHL history, but they are my lowest expectations for this team in the nearly 50 years I've followed them.

 

[jk333]

I expect 95 or 96 points and them to contend for the 7 or 8 seed. The defense is worse. The forwards should be slightly better with a healthy Krejci and improvements from Spooner and Pastrnak. The 4th line will also be better. Goaltending could be slightly better with more rest for Rask.

 

[lexrageorge]

I'm hopeful that the arrival of Beleskey and Kemppainen, a healthy Connolly, and some continued growth from Spooner and Pastrnak will at least make the team interesting to watch.  The D is a problem, but perhaps Colin Miller gets into the regular rotation by mid-season.  Chara's injury scares me if it's a long term thingy; never a good sign when the team is in complete radio silence on the topic.
 
They'll be on the cusp of the playoffs.  However, they don't have the talent to survive a slow start or blue line depth to overcome another injury.  I'm calling it a Bridge Year. 

 

[TSC]

Barring a trade for a #1 D - I think they'll be hovering around 7-9 in the East.
 
The offense isn't great, the D isn't good. Tuukka is going to have to stand on his head most nights if this team is to make the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what this teams identity ends up being.

 

[Salem's Lot]

I'm expecting a rebuilding year. Slow start due to initial growing pains, particularly with the young defenseman, followed by a very good second half that will leave them 4-6 points out of a playoff spot, but will inspire plenty of optimism for '16-'17.

 

[cshea]

I picked 87-93, no. I think they'll be right on the line though.

Bergeron and Rask are top 5 in the world at their positions. That alone could be enough to get them in, which is essentially what happened last season. Last year was somewhat flukey in that they had 96 points and missed. That's only happened once in the loser point era. This year, I think there are too many "if's." The young D. Chara. Seidenberg. Health. Spooner/Pastrnak/Connolly taking the leap. If those things break right, the Bruins should be in fairly comfortably.

I'm very excited for the season. In some ways, it feels like the pressure is off, which makes it more stress-free and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to watching some of the kids develop and hopefully take the next step.

 

[Toe Nash]

Last year they were 11th in CF% at even strength, their worst showing in a long time. But still decent. They had a team-wide low SH% that should probably regress, but they also lost a couple good players as we know.
 
I would expect something similar to last year with them being on the playoff bubble. Rask and Bergeron are too good for them to bottom out. And the rest of the roster isn't awful either. But a couple injuries could really hurt.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

I've been the resident pessimist in every fan circle this offseason. While Rask is good enough to steal a whole lot of games, their forward depth isn't as great as people want to pretend it is (particularly the fourth line, even if Kemppainen plays, since that leaves one of Talbot and Rinaldo still in). Their defense is pretty tough to overcome, and that was with Chara and Seidenberg in the lineup. To be fair, if those two being out for an extended period forces Miller and Morrow up and they can perform, I can see the positive in them forcing decisions on the likes of McQuaid, Kevan Miller, and Trotman, but unless they make the leap, this is a team with one top-4, one PMD, and a whole lot of bottom-pairing level people that MIGHT crack the middle pairing.
 
Something else to keep in mind is that it shouldn't surprise anyone that it was the Kings and Bruins that set records for most points outside the playoffs. After all, the Pacific (Edmonton and Arizona) and Atlantic (Buffalo) had some really bad teams inflating point values. Now that at least two of those three are theoretically going to be a bit better (for me, Buffalo for sure, and probably Edmonton if Talbot's the real deal), point totals in those divisions should come down a little. Add that to the Bruins' current regression, and I pegged them at 80-86 points and out.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

With 22 votes in I must say I'm glad to see I'm the most pessimistic here with my 73-79 prediction.  This is a prediction I would be thrilled to be very wrong about.

 

[RIFan]

I have to say, I cannot ever recall going into a Bruins season with lower expectations of how the team would do than I do this year.  I think I've always expected at least a playoff spot, even after the strike when they came in last, but I just don't see the talent in this team to compete for a playoff spot.  I'm not expecting the team to be historically bad, in terms of NHL history, but they are my lowest expectations for this team in the nearly 50 years I've followed them.

Wait..really?!?  Your lowest expectations in 50 years?    Lower than the Steve Kasper led teams?  Lower than the glorious post Bourque 2000-01 Bruins.  How did you have higher expectations for the roster mismanaged post lockout teams that let all their free agents go wrongly figuring they'd get them back on the cheap and featured the corpse of Brian Leetch, Brad Stuart, and noted traffic cone Hal Gill as your top D? 
 
This team is light years ahead of any of those teams. I think they can contend for a playoff spot.  They will have 3 solid lines and an improved 4th line.  D is obviously a question, but the younger players are all plus skaters and give them a dimension they have lacked.  If Claude has proven one thing is that he can coach up D.  They also have the one thing other down years didn't have in a proven elite goaltender. 

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I thought those teams had talent  . . .  on the ice, not behind the bench.  I also was younger and had higher expectations for the teams (well, and for everything else) in my life.

 

[Red Right Ankle]

Which one of you drunks picked 115-121 points?
 
I picked 80-86, no.  I can't see that defense being solid enough to get them much beyond that.  The offense may be slightly better if they can get a full year out of Krejci and their other key forwards even with the loss of Hamilton, but I also think their injury luck is going to continue to be bad with Z already tweaked and Seids out and likely to continue his slide into mediocrity once he gets back.  
 
edit: Only caveat is that Rask is good enough to Carey Price them in.  But I think that's a very low likelihood event.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

I'm mobile so haven't voted yet.

The D sucks, no way around it. Seidenberg out doesn't matter, he's been a negative for years. This team needs D. Either a top liner or a pair of second liners. Lots to dislike about their D.

I think people will be surprised with their forwards, though. Hayes doesn't have the ceiling of Lucic, but I think he'll give you 85% of that at a consistent basis. I'm also all in on Connolly. I think he's a 25 goal scorer waiting to happen.

If this team is competitive at the deadline and acquires a real defender, I think they have the goalie and forwards to be noisy in the playoffs. Considering g where we were a few months ago, what else could you ask for?

 

[LogansDad]

I am really excited for the season to start, but I picked 80-86 and no.  I think they still have a very good set of "defensive forwards" who will be able to control play at times but struggle to score, but I just don't see how this defense can be what Tuukka Rask needs to have in front of him for them to legitimately contend for a playoff spot.    
 
Hopefully I am wrong, and if the Chara that was out there at the end of last season was actually because of lingering injuries, then the defense could be better than I expect, but he looked ten years older than he had the year before.  Also, they may actually be better with Seidenberg out than in after what we have seen the last few years.  I think the youth movement on defense is exciting, but I also think it means this is a rebuilding year.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I'm pretty happy with the forward depth. This seems like a forward corps reminiscent of the ones they had in the good years. They don't have any of the league's elite offensive players (although they may have one in waiting in Pastrnak), but they are strong up the middle, have a number of intriguing guys with offensive potential (Connolly, Pastrnak, Spooner), and some quality veterans. They lack that top line 30-40 goal winger, but they have lacked that guy for most of Julien's tenure and it hasn't been a major problem. Spooner is unproven defensively, but with 3 other good lines Julien should be able to limit Spooner's bad match ups.

I also like the forward depth. Maybe a little short on potential scorers, unless Koko can be this year's Spooner, but plenty of guys who can fill in as role player types (Blidh, Ferlin, Czarnik, Griffith, etc).

They are also pretty set in goal of course.

The questions are on D. Lots of 4-6 types but lacking in the top guys. They need Krug to mature into a Brian Rafalski type (and fast). And they need Trotman to build on his promising end of last season and be a solid middle pair guy.

Altogether, I think this is a better Bruins team than what we had during most the pre-Claude decade. I think they will squeak into the playoffs.

 

[Ritmo]

Same points as last season, which will come with much more optimism than last year. Strong push after trade deadline gets them into the playoffs, where they put up a good fight for a couple of rounds. Defense will have growing pains but will be overall better than current consensus predictions. Streaky team will have stretches of 5-4 games and stretches of 1-0 games. I'm interested to see what the trade deadline brings, as the B's have the assets - veterans, prospects, picks - to make some noise and acquire a foundational piece or two.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I have to say, I cannot ever recall going into a Bruins season with lower expectations of how the team would do than I do this year.  I think I've always expected at least a playoff spot, even after the strike when they came in last, but I just don't see the talent in this team to compete for a playoff spot.  I'm not expecting the team to be historically bad, in terms of NHL history, but they are my lowest expectations for this team in the nearly 50 years I've followed them.

If you've followed them for 50 years and THIS is the team that gives you pause, then you obviously haven't been paying close enough attention.
 
This team has talent up and down the roster. They may not have the top end talent that some teams in the past had, but they have a great coach, depth, goaltending and a great crop of hard working forwards.The defense is a concern, I'll give you that, but I"m not willing to write this group of defenseman off yet.
 
I guarantee this team makes the playoffs. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is, name your price. There is no chance this team finishes with a point total lower than 90*.
 
*Barring injuries

 

[timlinin8th]

They'll be on the cusp of the playoffs.  However, they don't have the talent to survive a slow start or blue line depth to overcome another injury.  I'm calling it a Bridge Year. 

This is where I'm at, which is why I see them on the outside looking in again. They have the top end talent to beat bad teams, but not enough depth to beat the top tier teams. This season will prove a lot - can either be the building block for the future getting the young guys worked in or prove this team is gonna be a mediocre team for a while w no high draft picks on the horizon.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

If you've followed them for 50 years and THIS is the team that gives you pause, then you obviously haven't been paying close enough attention.
 
This team has talent up and down the roster. They may not have the top end talent that some teams in the past had, but they have a great coach, depth, goaltending and a great crop of hard working forwards.The defense is a concern, I'll give you that, but I"m not willing to write this group of defenseman off yet.
 
I guarantee this team makes the playoffs. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is, name your price. There is no chance this team finishes with a point total lower than 90*.
 
*Barring injuries

 
*like the two their two most experienced defensemen have recently suffered?

Or just going forward.
 
 
And I know much more about this team than I did about the players on those Kasper teams and other lesser editions, which is why I come to this conclusion.  Like I said, I really hope I'm wrong.

 

[TheRealness]

I would love to know who voted 59-65 points. Absurd.

I feel like a lot of people in this thread are overrating the Eastern Conference, and underestimating this Bruins roster. The Bruins really missed Krejci last year, and they still finished with 94 points. I think the idea they don't have talent is wrongheaded as well. The problem they have is a lack of experience, especially with a few of their defenseman. I feel pretty strongly they will be right around 100 points. I think they will finish somewhere between 4-6. They have an elite goalie, and if Chara can come back to 90% of his previous self they have the chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

If they lose Bergeron, Krejci or Rask for any significant time though then they are totally fucked.

I'm with the FL4W on this one.

 

[NickEsasky]

87-93 and they do get into the playoffs. D corp sucks no question, but this is still a team that is as strong up the middle as any team in hockey with a great goaltender. Barring significant injuries to Krejci, Tuukka, or Bergeron they will be in the mix and will make the playoffs. 

 

[smastroyin]

I went 80-86 and no only because I am scared of this Chara injury and what it might mean for his effectiveness if he does play, and the gap if he doesn't.

 

[McDrew]

I picked 101-107
Bs had no Chara or Krecji for significant parts of last year.  Having them back healthy will be an improvement. 
Gus will be a better backup than Svedberg was.   Tuukka will get more rest, and will perform better.
The young kids look to be greater contributors than they have been in prior seasons.  I think Spooner and Pastrnak will have better seasons with their regular play. 
I hope this team can echo 2011 in the "we have 3 lines that can score on you" vein.  Marchand-Bergeron-whomever has been really good the last few season, and I'd like to see Pastrnak get set up by Krecji a bit.  I also think Hayes, Spooner, Connolly is a line that could be a much better than average 3rd line. 
I know I'm being optimistic, but the team had 96 points last year, and should have made the playoffs as an 7-8 seed (since they were the first team with 95 or 96 points to miss the playoffs).  I see this team as being better, and competing for home ice in the first round of the divisional playoffs

 

[Terras]

94-100, 94 specifically, but no. If the young guys come along both on offense and defense and there's no major injuries they might squeak in, but that's with everything going right. With any major injury or setback, the team won't crack 90 and if a couple things break poorly (Pasta and Spooner take steps back, the young/fringe D-Men shit their pants, God forbid a long term injury to Bergeron or Marchand) it could be even worse than that.

Even at their best this team will only be fighting for a 8/7 slot. Would I like to see that happen? Absolutely. Can this team pull that shit off? Of course they can. If that's the goal for the season, then let's fuckin do it.

 

[Myt1]

87-93 (and on the low end) and no playoffs.  No margin for error with that defense, and that's their game.  And I don't think Tuukka will react all that well to the incompetence he sees right in front of his face.  Also, if they're far back early, I expect the front office to trade for the future while dumping Claude, which would bring them in even lower.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I actually feel very positive about the forwards and goaltenders (duh).
 
I think the forward group compares very favorably to what we have had here throughout Julien's tenure.  They are strong up the middle, as usual, with Bergeron and Krejci the key players.  They have quality veteran depth up and down the lineup, with Marchand, Eriksson, Kelly, and newcomers Hayes, Beleskey, Kemppainen.  They have young potential breakout guys in Spooner, Pastrnak, Connolly.  I'm not yet sold on Beleskey as a legit top 6 guy, but they don't really need him to be.  
 
I also think the depth is good. Other than maybe Khokhlachev, they don't have any obvious scoring forwards in Providence, but they do have Ferlin and Blidh coming off of good camps.  
 
On the downside, Zac Rinaldo.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

87-93 (and on the low end) and no playoffs.  No margin for error with that defense, and that's their game.  And I don't think Tuukka will react all that well to the incompetence he sees right in front of his face.  Also, if they're far back early, I expect the front office to trade for the future while dumping Claude, which would bring them in even lower.

 
This is pretty much where I am, with the caveat that I think they'll slip into the playoffs as the 8 for a brief stay. The defensive corps is not going to be strong enough, not with Chara and Seidenberg nicked up and McQuaid slower than a glacier out there. And no Dougie (bursts into tears). It's been widely reported that Rask wore down physically and mentally last year because of overwork; with the lack of a good defense in front of him I am leery that that could happen again.

 

[jk333]

It will be interesting to watch Julien coach the defense. He's been given a defense that should/can move the puck, but is inexperienced in its own zone. Will be interesting to watch the young defenseman develop.

That's the key to the season.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Votes as of 7AM today:
 


In the past 10 years, lowest point total = 52, highest = 124

1. 51 points or fewer (0 votes [0.00%])
    
   
2. 52-58 points (0 votes [0.00%])
    
   
3. 59-65 points (2 votes [2.74%])
    
   
4. 66-72 points (1 votes [1.37%])
    
   
5. 
   73-79 points (4 votes [5.48%])
    
   
6. 80-86 points (13 votes [17.81%])
    
   
7. 87-93 points (25 votes [34.25%])
    
   
8. 94-100 points (22 votes [30.14%])
    
   
9. 101-107 points (5 votes [6.85%])
    
   
10. 108-114 points (0 votes [0.00%])
     
    
11. 115-121 points (1 votes [1.37%])
     
    
12. over 122 points (0 votes [0.00%])
     
    

Will they make the playoffs?

1. Yes (38 votes [52.05%])
    
   

No (35 votes [47.95%])
 
My picks are visible to all of you.  I still hope I'm wrong, but last night gave me little faith

 

[jk333]

 
Votes as of 7AM today:
 
In the past 10 years, lowest point total = 52, highest = 124

1. 51 points or fewer (0 votes [0.00%])
    
   
2. 52-58 points (0 votes [0.00%])
    
   
3. 59-65 points (2 votes [2.74%])
    
   
4. 66-72 points (1 votes [1.37%])
    
   
5. 
   73-79 points (4 votes [5.48%])
    
   
6. 80-86 points (13 votes [17.81%])
    
   
7. 87-93 points (25 votes [34.25%])
    
   
8. 94-100 points (22 votes [30.14%])
    
   
9. 101-107 points (5 votes [6.85%])
    
   
10. 108-114 points (0 votes [0.00%])
     
    
11. 115-121 points (1 votes [1.37%])
     
    
12. over 122 points (0 votes [0.00%])
     
    

Will they make the playoffs?

1. Yes (38 votes [52.05%])
    
   

No (35 votes [47.95%])
 
My picks are visible to all of you.  I still hope I'm wrong, but last night gave me little faith

 

 
The defense was absolutely terrible last night and they will need much more out of Spooner's line. On the defense, the bottom pair was the big problem and even with Krug giving a goal up, I thought he played well in a lot of minutes. The good thing about the roster is that they have plenty of options with Chara and Miller available. 
 
The defense is never going to be a good defensively, they need Spooner's line to score if they are to make the playoffs. Rask also needed to be better last night. 

 

[Myt1]

I'm moderately worried about Rask beheading someone with a stick swing or trying to break Happy Gilmore's record of taking his skate off and trying to stab someone with it.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

 
The defense was absolutely terrible last night and they will need much more out of Spooner's line. On the defense, the bottom pair was the big problem and even with Krug giving a goal up, I thought he played well in a lot of minutes. The good thing about the roster is that they have plenty of options with Chara and Miller available. 
 
The defense is never going to be a good defensively, they need Spooner's line to score if they are to make the playoffs. Rask also needed to be better last night. 

 
I agree with this general sentiment.  But I wonder how different things would look if we had simply had Chara in, Irwin out.
 
Also, I though it was interesting that Julien kind of deflected some blame from the defense, alluding to team-level problems in his postgame remarks.  I wonder how much of that was just him trying to protect his D (which he has no choice but to rely on) versus how much of the problems really were team/system issues.
 
It will be interesting to see how they bounce back.  

 

[FL4WL3SS]

 
I agree with this general sentiment.  But I wonder how different things would look if we had simply had Chara in, Irwin out.
 
Also, I though it was interesting that Julien kind of deflected some blame from the defense, alluding to team-level problems in his postgame remarks.  I wonder how much of that was just him trying to protect his D (which he has no choice but to rely on) versus how much of the problems really were team/system issues.
 
It will be interesting to see how they bounce back.  

Well he does require a strong defensive effort up and down the lineup and he didn't get that Thursday.

I rewatched some of the game and the forwards were not helping out the defense as much as they should have. The defense was below average, but so were the forwards in that game.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

After the drubbing on the opener, trailing Habs 0-3. This is the most listless and incoherent team since the Kasper days. 

 

[TSC]

It's not that they're listless, they just don't have the top end talent on O and on D to compete with the better teams in the league.

They're trying hard. But sometimes trying hard isn't enough.

 

[burstnbloom]

Ya, I would agree with TSC.  The effort is definitely there, they just aren't very good.  I was way too optimistic about this team and I've swung hard in the other direction way too early.  Hopefully San Jose sucks too and the Bruins get 2 high draft picks. 

 

[Salem's Lot]

I see a team that's putting in the effort. That's not the problem. They have no top end offensive talent. No depth. And injuries to their top two defenseman.

 

[NYCSox]

I see a team that's putting in the effort. That's not the problem. They have no top end offensive talent. No depth. And injuries to their top two defenseman.

 
The fact that Seidenberg is their second best defenseman is another problem in and of itself.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

11 of 11 votes since the season started have been for 93 points or fewer.  All 11 votes have been NO for playoffs.  Nice bold predictions.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

It's not that they're listless, they just don't have the top end talent on O and on D to compete with the better teams in the league.

They're trying hard. But sometimes trying hard isn't enough.

 
I think there is a (slight) reason to be a little more optimistic about them.  There has obviously been a lot of roster turnover, they have been making some tweaks to the system, it's going to take some time and game experience for this group to jell.  There's a difference between "just" trying hard versus the confidence and focus that comes from each player knowing his own role and trusting that his teammates know and will execute theirs.  The Bruins clearly aren't there (or anywhere near there) yet.  
 
I'm not saying that's the difference between the Bruins' current level of play vs a playoff team's level of play, but even with just the current guys there should be some improvement as they gain cohesion.

 

[lexrageorge]

It's hard to read too much into 2 games, no matter how awful; or how good for that matter.  
 
The bigger concern is that this team does not have the talent or depth to overcome a 2-9-1 stretch to start the season and still make the playoffs. And the possibility of such a start cannot be entirely discounted after what we've seen over these 2 games. 

 

[TFP]

Let's start new threads here.