In honor of my late grandfather who for several years wrote passionate post-game reports
about his beloved Boston Celtics, I feel I owe some duty to in some way fill the void of the
fan first perspective of sports writing that he has left behind. His bread and butter was
basketball, and specifically Celtics, and though I can’t equal the scorching hot takes (like
trading Tatum for Cooper Flagg, or depth of roster and box score knowledge that he had for
the C’s, I can however hold serve with my passion is the Boston Bruins. The Bruins, a team
in which I have plenty of opinions about and I have watched passionately since birth are my
team, and my specialty though I will include some mentions of other New England sports
teams such as the Patriots (Drake Maye is awesome), Red Sox (Roman Anthony is
awesome) and even touch on the C’s when appropriate, but primarily these writeups will
focus on hockey. In no way will I be able to equal his consistency, in reporting on all 82
games of a regular season but will hope to provide a weekly or semiweekly account of takes
on the black and gold this season. So, without further ado, lest I begin my Less Cranky
Young Bruins Fan initial write up beginning with the preseason report.
The Bruins are not only ushering in a new uniform and logo this season, but they are also
ushering in a new era… one not particularly welcomed by the Bruins faithful. The preseason
outlook on this team is gloomy with small rays of sunshine provided by NHL elite David
Pastranak, rock solid D-man Charlie MacAvoy and the hope that young goaltender Jeremy
Swayman can recapture the incredible play that made him a fan favorite just a couple short
years ago. With former Bruin and 2010 Winter Classic hero Marco Sturm assuming the role
as bench boss, brining a positive, player first coaching style to his first season as an NHL
coach, growing pains are to be expected. The Vegas odds have the Bruins at +8000 to win
the division, worst amongst the Atlantic.
A hodge podge of underrated, unproven and young players make up the Bruins o]ense this
season, asking essentially all of them to overperform to be competitive. Highlighted by the
developing chemistry of Lindholm, Geekie and Pasta, this top line will have to carry much
of the scoring load this season. Viktor Aarvidson, Zacha and Mittlestadt make up a very
underwhelming second line of players who can’t seem to elevate to the next level to really
deserve 2nd line minutes. Exciting young talent Fraser Minton, acquired from Toronto via
trade last season centers Tanner Jeannot and Michael Eyssimont on the 3rd line. Jeannot,
who’s signing was loathed by fans and pundits this o]season as a massive overpayment
will need to produce significantly more than recent years to be worth his contract, but his
toughness is undeniable. Lastly, Sean Kuraly returns to Boston as the eldest member of the
team centering the 4th line of Marat Khusnutdinov (who will going forward only be referred to

as Khusy), and Mark Kastelic. This is a line that can provide physicality and toughness for
the B’s, making them a little more di]icult to score and play against.
The D-core is underrated in my opinion. Last year it was hurt significantly by the early
season injury of Hampus Lindholm and the post Four Nations injury of Charlie MacAvoy.
The two combine to be the 1-2 punch of the Bruins D, sent out in back-to-back pairings. A
quick return to elite form for both will be necessary, and MacAvoy will have to shoulder a
more o]ensive load with the lack of fire power up front. Andrew Peeke who plays in the
second pairing with Lindholm, is a solid skater, good, tough defender and will provide a lot
of hard minutes on the PK. Mason Lohrei needs to make a big step this season after a
league worst -43 last season. While I don’t fully buy the +/- stat, league worst is hard to
ignore, and he never passed the eye test a good defender either. His skating and o]ensive
creativity are strengths but defending the middle of the ice and puck security are major
issues for the young player looking to stick around at the NHL level. Finally, the pairing of
monster Nikita Zadorov and Henri Jokiharju add experience to the bottom pair. Zadorov’s
size and strength is an X factor, if he can handle pucks and breakouts rather than turnovers.
Finally, the goaltending. Swayman’s year last season was doomed from the start. A lengthy
and nasty contract negotiation with the two brainiacs of Don Sweeney and Cam Neely in
the front o]ice left Swayman out of training camp. With Ullmark being moved to Ottawa it
was all put on Swayman’s shoulders from the start, and it was a nightmare season. When
on his game he challenges for best in the league, they will need a Vezina caliber season just
to sni] the postseason come April, but I believe he will bounce back in a major way with a
potential Olympic roster spot on the line. Much to the dismay of yours truly the Bruins kept
Joonas Korpisalo in favor of handing the reigns to AHL Providence standout Brandon Bussi.
I still think Korpi’s $3m cap hit could have been better utilized to find some scoring power
this o]season, but I digress. He’s an experienced NHL goalie who can be a valuable
pressure valve for Swayman and the Bs. He was vocal about more playing time last season,
I think he will get it this season, but he will need to provide the Bruins opportunities to win
with his play.
Overall, I truly believe this is a punt season for the Bruins. Cap trouble, a lack of developed
young talent, and poor management over the last few seasons has handcu]ed this Bruins
roster. I expect them to be hard to play against, defending and goaltending their way to
victories. The NHL has plenty of parody where they will likely be the outsiders of a playo]
race, but with the looming opportunity to draft future #1 overall pick Gavin McKenna out of
Penn State, the Bruins will be sellers at the deadline. Except pleasant surprises and bright
spots, but assuredly no Duck Boat parades through the city for this lineup.