1) Will Elias Lindholm and Mark Kastelic level things out at center ice for important faceoffs?  

The Bruins faced challenges in the center position after David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron left in 2022-2023. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha stepped up but couldn’t match Bergeron’s and Krejci’s defensive skills. The team struggled in defensive zone draws and penalty kills without their expertise. Zacha has mainly played as a winger, and he and Coyle had a tough time against skilled faceoff opponents. Elias Lindholm has a 56.4% career faceoff win rate, and newly acquired centerman Mark Kastelic boasts a career win rate of 56.3%. These additions will help the Bruins maintain puck possession when needed most and slot both Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle into places where they are likely to be more successful.

2) How will Jeremy Swayman fare as the legitimate #1 goaltender?

The Bruins enjoyed having arguably the best goaltending tandem in the National Hockey League for the past few seasons. However, it became abundantly clear that the salary cap could be better used elsewhere on the roster than having five million of your cap sitting on the bench during the postseason, where it matters most. The Bruins performed admirably, forcing the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers to Game 6, and if they got a couple more bounces, they would’ve forced seven, all with Linus Ullmark rooting from the bench. Now, Ullmark has been dealt to the Ottawa Senators, a divisional rival, and Jeremy Swayman has been anointed the guy between the pipes. It’s important to note that part of the Ullmark deal did send Joonas Korpisalo to the Boston Bruins, and despite struggling mightily behind the young Ottawa defenders, he does have a track record of playing as a stalwart #1 goaltender at the NHL level. It will fall onto Goaltending Coach Bob Essensa’s shoulders to rebuild Korpisalo into an upper-echelon NHL goaltender. I have my faith, though; he’s done it repeatedly. *cough* Anton Khudobin, Chad Johnson, Jaro Halak, anyone? *cough* Remember that we are no longer in the era of Martin Brodeur playing seventy games or more a season. Last year, Jeremy Swayman played only 43 games or just over half of the season. I would expect that number to swell to the mid-50s this year. How will he perform with this added pressure?

3) Is the new-look defense one of the top blue lines in the league?

It wasn’t just Elias Lindholm coming to town on July 1st for the Boston Bruins. Nikita Zadorov has arrived at the Hub with an impressive highlight reel that will excite every Dunkin’ Donuts-toting Bostonian. Zadorov is renowned for his imposing frame and physical style of play. But it wasn’t just his physicality that made him a first-round talent; it’s also his ability to play reliable two-way defense. He’s valuable, particularly in a penalty kill or shutdown role. As for the defense lineup, the first pair would likely be Lindholm-McAvoy, the second pair Zadorov-Carlo, and the third pair Lohrei-Peeke. Parker Wortherspoon and Ian Mitchell would serve as the spare defenders. Is that trio of duos enough to protect Jeremy Swayman and buoy the Boston Bruins up to yet another postseason berth?