4 Big Questions for the Boston Bruins in 2020-21

3. Is there enough toughness on the roster?

This very question would have been unheard of back in the heyday of the Big, Bad, Bruising Bruins, who beat up on teams at will and just crushed opponents for fun, showing no signs of having any mercy whatsoever.

From Zdeno Chara to Mark Recchi to Dennis Seidenberg to Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic, the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team was built on fear and toughness, attributes that have long been associated with Boston Bruins hockey.

However, that proud history has been just that with the current vintage losing some of their snarl and grit in recent years, a sad fact that was exposed in alarming fashion during the Stanley Cup Final loss to the St. Louis Blues two years ago, with the Blues just tougher and more formidable in all areas of the ice.

Of course, being tough and being able to beat the crap out of anyone isn’t as important in the modern-day NHL as it once was, but it still plays a part.

And, while some may have overplayed the fact that the Bruins were not as tough as they used to be, their offseason moves have raised a lot of concerns in that area once again.

For starters, Zdeno Chara was not only the heartbeat and the leader of this team but, at an imposing 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, he was an absolute human wrecking ball for this team and still dished out 78 hits at the grand old age of 43-years-old in 2019-20.

Chara is now gone, though, having signed with the Washington Capitals as a Free Agent, as too is Torey Krug who was built like a featherweight but played like a heavyweight, and will now suit up for the St. Louis Blues after signing a seven-year, $45,500,000 contract in Free Agency.

Both players leave a massive void when it comes to toughness and, while Brad Marchand is still on the team, there isn’t really anyone else who can really excel in the dark arts of the game. I mean, there is veteran defenseman Kevan Miller who can certainly play with a bucketload of grit and snarl but, having not played a single NHL game in over 21 months, can he really be relied upon to take the mantle from Chara and Krug give how battered and bruised his body is?

The jury is still very much out.

And the front office even admitted themselves that they were suffering from a lack of toughness after going out at the Trade Deadline last year and acquiring Nick Ritchie from the Anaheim Ducks for Danton Heinen, an experiment that failed in emphatic fashion after Ritchie flamed out in Boston.

Instead, it appears as though the Boston Bruins will have to rely on the likes of Sean Kuraly, Chris Wagner, Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand to really step up and provide the grit, snarl, toughness and tenacity that this team needs and prides itself on but, whether it will be enough, remains to be see.