The Boston Bruins are a must-watch team this season. And it’s not because they will make a deep playoff run.
Few Boston teams have seen as much uncertainty surrounding its club entering a season than this year’s Bruins team. The consistency of veterans such as Zdeno Chára and Tuukka Rask are in question, not to mention the uncertainty of rookies who figure to be in the lineup on a nightly basis.
Rask, the former 2014 Vezina Trophy winner (awarded to the best goaltender according to NHL general managers), had an underwhelming campaign last season and has already looked shaky through the first week. The Finnish netminder has the talent to be one of the best in the game, but his tendency to give up big rebounds with an inexperienced blue line will not help the turnaround.
Under head coach Claude Julien, the strengths of the big-and-bad Bruins have been defense and goaltending. Last year, however, Boston allowed 2.78 goals per game, which ranked 20th in the league. From 2009 to 2014, the Bruins were in the top six for fewest goals against average every season.
This year’s team has a better chance of repeating their struggles from last season than reverting back to their dominant defensive ways. Julien is a defensive-minded coach whose tactics are becoming less popular in the NHL because these days in order to be competitive, you need a system that utilizes speed. Julien relies on defensive-minded players to limit skating opportunities for opponents and keep games low-scoring.
That philosophy is increasingly hard to employ when you have a young team that is offensive minded. Last Thursday night the Bruins started four rookies, the most ever started on opening night under Julien.
Julien is a good NHL coach, but so much of his success hinges on his team playing a defensive-minded game that shrinks the ice and prioritizes breakouts. The development of bright young players such as David Pastrnak, Brandon Carlo, Rob O’Gara and Danton Heinen will be compromised in Claude’s system.
The Bruins have struggled to develop prospects under Julien and that is one reason we have seen Boston sprinkle so much talent around the league. Phil Kessel and Tyler Seguin have gone on to be studs in the league, and they were traded because they didn’t fit the system of Julien.
In this new era of the NHL where you need to have speedy talented forwards, shouldn’t your system allow those young players to blossom in your system? The answer seems obvious, but not to Cam Neely and Don Sweeney, who haven’t expressed any signs of Julien being on the hot seat.
The strength of this year’s team is their top two forward lines. The contract extension of Brad Marchand and the signing of David Backes are two perfect players to build a team around. With so many young players receiving meaningful ice-time, the presence for vocal leaders is imperative. Pastrnak is the most promising of the up-and-comers, and at just 20 years old, the third-year Bruin looks comfortable under the guidance of his veteran linemate Backes.
Pastrnak told the media this past week that Backes is constantly in his ear pointing things out, and said he’s never been under that type of constant guidance from a player. That guidance is beginning to show in Pastrnak’s play of late, as he’s already notched four goals and two assists through three games.
Players like Pastrnak are the reason why there is excitement surrounding this team. This year is pivotal in the development and evaluation of these players, and I am not convinced Julien’s system or voice in the dressing room is best for the future of the Boston Bruins.
Amidst my pessimistic outlook on the management of the Bruins, they have enough talent to win a wild card and perhaps make the playoffs. But I am not sure if Julien’s system gets the most out of them.
This season needs to be a turning point for Boston where it can shift the mindset of its front office. The team needs to focus on developing young talent to couple it with the Bruins’ star players in their prime, namely Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Marchand and Backes.
The Boston Bruins have missed the playoffs on the last day of the season each of the last two years. Don’t be surprised if the familiar March collapse takes the city by storm again next spring.