The Boston Bruins Guide To The 2022-23 NHL Season
By Jim Lynch
The Boston Bruins are keeping most of the band together entering the 2022-23 NHL season. The Bruins have made the playoffs each of the past six seasons, and they are one of the most successful franchises since winning their most recent Stanley Cup in 2011.
The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup Final twice since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. They were in the final in 2013 against the Blackhawks and again in 2019 against the Blues. They fell short of winning the Cup each time, but they competed until the season’s end.
Despite having one of the worst prospect pipelines in the league, this Bruins team continues to be one of the top teams in the NHL. Today I want to look at what this upcoming season could bring.
With under a month until the start of the season, today we have a guide for Bruins fans entering the new year. So, let’s dive in with everything you need to know.
The Boston Bruins Guide To The 2022-23 NHL Season
2021-22 Season Stats:
Record: 51-26-5 (107 Points)
Team Finish: Fourth in Atlantic Division
Playoffs: Lost 4-3 in round one against Carolina
Regular Season Point Leader: Brad Marchand – 80 Pts
Regular Season Goal Leader: David Pastranak – 40 Goals
2021-22 Recap:
The Bruins had a rather strong season in 2021-22 finishing the year as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division. The Eastern Conference playoff picture was set in November of last year and never really changed so the regular season was not much of a challenge for the Bruins. Falling short in the playoffs had to hurt for the Bruins but they will get another chance this season with a similar group.
2022-23 Preview:
This upcoming season will revolve primarily around David Pastrnak and his ongoing talks for a contract extension. Pastrnak is in the final year of his 6.666 million AAV deal he signed in September of 2017.
Keeping Pastrnak in Boston has to be the highest priority for the Bruins, but as a team barely staying afloat in the Atlantic with teams like Detroit, Ottawa and Buffalo all improving, staying in the playoffs is not going to be easy.
The Bruins have a lot of key players to try and re-sign after this season, so a lot of change could be coming in Boston after this year.
The team will also start this season missing out on some key players with guys like Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk all starting the year out with injuries.
Leadership:
General Manager: Don Sweeney
Head Coach: Jim Montgomery
The Bruins let go long-time head coach Bruce Cassidy this past offseason so it will be interesting to see how Jim Montgomery does behind the bench with this team.
Key Additions:
Pavel Zacha, David Krejci and coach Jim Montgomery
We should also mention the big news that Patrice Bergeron signed to stay in Boston for another season. it was up in the air around whether or not Bergeron would return so getting him back is a big win.
Key Subtractions:
Josh Brown, Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar and Bruce Cassidy
Three Games On The Schedule:
Nov. 21, 2022: Boston visits Tampa Bay
The Boston Bruins will need every point they can get to make the playoffs this upcoming season. The Tampa Bay Lightning are one divisional rival the Bruins will need to beat. The first matchup between the Bruins and Lightning comes on Nov. 21 in Tampa Bay. Seeing as this is the introduction of these two teams facing off this season, it is a big game to watch. Boston went 3-1-0 against the Lightning last season.
Nov. 25, 2022: Boston hosts Carolina
The first time the two teams will rematch after the Hurricanes knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs last season.
Dec. 3, 2022: Boston hosts the champs
Who doesn’t like watching the Stanley Cup Champions come to town? The Bruins and the Avalanche will face off in Boston for the only time this season on Dec. 3. They will play again in Colorado on Dec. 7. Those two games will be critical matchups for Boston to see how they measure up against the best of the best.
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2023 Draft Picks:
As a team all in on winning, the Bruins’ 2023 draft picks will probably be one of the last set of picks they are willing to use as sweeteners in trades to land big rentals for a chance at a cup.
Here are the Bruins picks they currently have:
2023 First Round Pick
2023 Third Round Pick
2023 Fourth Round Pick
2023 Fifth Round Pick
2023 Sixth Round Pick
2023 Seventh Round Pick
2023 Seventh Round Pick (LA)
Outlook and Predictions:
The Bruins will have a tough start to the season without Marchand, who led the team in points last season, McAvoy, the team’s top defenseman, and Grzelcyk, another top defenseman who was critical in a shutdown role.
Related Story. Why firing Bruce Cassidy was a big mistake from the Bruins. light
If the Bruins can get out of the first few months of the season close to 500, then I think anything is possible for this team. But if they cannot win without those three players, it will be tough to battle back into a playoff spot in a very tough division.