Boston Bruins Preview
The Big Dig isn't the only thing in Boston getting the once-over for renovations these days as the Bruins go through changes to their roster and front office with the 2006-07 NHL season just around the corner. But will the changes be enough to get them into the playoffs?
By: SBR Staff
The stink of last year’s Joe Thornton deal still lingers in Boston, but a flurry of offseason maneuvers at least has Bruins faithful optimistic that they will be competitive in 2006-07.
The Bruins’ latest move came last week, when they signed top draft pick Phil Kessel to a three-year, rookie deal. Kessel, the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, made his mark with the US National Development Team and in two World Junior tournaments, and won the WCHA Rookie of the Year award last year at U of Minnesota.
Whether or not Kessel can immediately fill a spot on one of the Bruins’ scoring lines remains to be seen, but the 18-year-old will at least get a chance to make the squad out of camp. With a hard, accurate shot and world-class speed, Kessel likely needs to work only on his conditioning (and, reportedly, his attitude) to make his mark with the Bruins.
While Kessel is expected to be a star for Boston in the future, Zdeno Chara will be a star for Boston immediately. The hulking defenseman was lured away from the division-rival Ottawa Senators with a big free-agent contract, and he’ll anchor their blueline for seasons to come. Paul Mara, acquired via a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes in the summer, will likely battle incumbent Brad Stuart for the team’s defenseman scoring title.
Also new to the Boston roster this season is Marc Savard, the former Atlanta Thrashers center who signed with the Bruins as a free agent. Savard is expected to fill some of the scoring void created by Thornton’s departure, and he and Patrice Bergeron will lead lines 1A and 1B this season. Wingers Brad Boyes, Glen Murray, and Marco Sturm will also find themselves as top-six forwards, with Kessel a candidate for the final top spot.
Where Boston has some concerns, though, is between the pipes. Aging minor leaguer Tim Thomas seized the starting goaltender job midway through last season, and played well enough to allow the team to jettison Andrew Raycroft in the summer. Thomas’ time as the top guy, though, could be short - hotshot prospect Hannu Toivonen is their goalie of the future, and he’ll be given every chance to establish himself in the crease.
If Thomas’ 2005/06 performance proves to be a fluke, and the young Toivonen falters, the Bruins could regret sending Raycroft to the Toronto Maple Leafs (even if they did get top prospect Tuukka Rask in return). Raycroft fell on hard times in Beantown last season, but he’s a former Calder Trophy winner who is still only 26 years old.
Not all of Boston’s changes have been on the ice, however. Mike O’Connell was fired from the general manager’s job (thanks in large part to the Thornton deal), while Mike Sullivan was dismissed from his coaching duties. Hired as the team’s new GM was Peter Chiarelli, a former top lieutenant in the Senators’ front office, while former Detroit Red Wings bench boss Dave Lewis was brought in to be their head coach for the 2006/07 season.
And even long-time Bruin employee Harry Sinden was affected by all the offseason movement. Sinden resigned from his post as team president, which he has held for the past 17 years, to become an advisor to owner Jeremy Jacobs. Sinden has also held the role of coach and general manager in his 40-year tenure with the Bruins organization.
The Bruins finished with a 29-37-16 record last season, 18 points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. To get into the postseason this year the Bruins would probably need to pick up a dozen additional wins - and hope that one of last year’s playoff teams falls back to the pack.
Oddsmakers are skeptical about their chances right now - at VIP Sports the Bruins are pegged at 50/1 to win the Stanley Cup - but with all the changes Boston could turn out to be one of the sleeper teams in the National Hockey League this season. If their goaltending holds up, and the offense can pot a few more goals, the Bruins could be a team on the rise - and those mutterings about the Thornton deal could finally fade away.
The Big Dig isn't the only thing in Boston getting the once-over for renovations these days as the Bruins go through changes to their roster and front office with the 2006-07 NHL season just around the corner. But will the changes be enough to get them into the playoffs?
By: SBR Staff
The stink of last year’s Joe Thornton deal still lingers in Boston, but a flurry of offseason maneuvers at least has Bruins faithful optimistic that they will be competitive in 2006-07.
The Bruins’ latest move came last week, when they signed top draft pick Phil Kessel to a three-year, rookie deal. Kessel, the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, made his mark with the US National Development Team and in two World Junior tournaments, and won the WCHA Rookie of the Year award last year at U of Minnesota.
Whether or not Kessel can immediately fill a spot on one of the Bruins’ scoring lines remains to be seen, but the 18-year-old will at least get a chance to make the squad out of camp. With a hard, accurate shot and world-class speed, Kessel likely needs to work only on his conditioning (and, reportedly, his attitude) to make his mark with the Bruins.
While Kessel is expected to be a star for Boston in the future, Zdeno Chara will be a star for Boston immediately. The hulking defenseman was lured away from the division-rival Ottawa Senators with a big free-agent contract, and he’ll anchor their blueline for seasons to come. Paul Mara, acquired via a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes in the summer, will likely battle incumbent Brad Stuart for the team’s defenseman scoring title.
Also new to the Boston roster this season is Marc Savard, the former Atlanta Thrashers center who signed with the Bruins as a free agent. Savard is expected to fill some of the scoring void created by Thornton’s departure, and he and Patrice Bergeron will lead lines 1A and 1B this season. Wingers Brad Boyes, Glen Murray, and Marco Sturm will also find themselves as top-six forwards, with Kessel a candidate for the final top spot.
Where Boston has some concerns, though, is between the pipes. Aging minor leaguer Tim Thomas seized the starting goaltender job midway through last season, and played well enough to allow the team to jettison Andrew Raycroft in the summer. Thomas’ time as the top guy, though, could be short - hotshot prospect Hannu Toivonen is their goalie of the future, and he’ll be given every chance to establish himself in the crease.
If Thomas’ 2005/06 performance proves to be a fluke, and the young Toivonen falters, the Bruins could regret sending Raycroft to the Toronto Maple Leafs (even if they did get top prospect Tuukka Rask in return). Raycroft fell on hard times in Beantown last season, but he’s a former Calder Trophy winner who is still only 26 years old.
Not all of Boston’s changes have been on the ice, however. Mike O’Connell was fired from the general manager’s job (thanks in large part to the Thornton deal), while Mike Sullivan was dismissed from his coaching duties. Hired as the team’s new GM was Peter Chiarelli, a former top lieutenant in the Senators’ front office, while former Detroit Red Wings bench boss Dave Lewis was brought in to be their head coach for the 2006/07 season.
And even long-time Bruin employee Harry Sinden was affected by all the offseason movement. Sinden resigned from his post as team president, which he has held for the past 17 years, to become an advisor to owner Jeremy Jacobs. Sinden has also held the role of coach and general manager in his 40-year tenure with the Bruins organization.
The Bruins finished with a 29-37-16 record last season, 18 points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. To get into the postseason this year the Bruins would probably need to pick up a dozen additional wins - and hope that one of last year’s playoff teams falls back to the pack.
Oddsmakers are skeptical about their chances right now - at VIP Sports the Bruins are pegged at 50/1 to win the Stanley Cup - but with all the changes Boston could turn out to be one of the sleeper teams in the National Hockey League this season. If their goaltending holds up, and the offense can pot a few more goals, the Bruins could be a team on the rise - and those mutterings about the Thornton deal could finally fade away.