OFF-SEASON PLAYER ADDITIONS
Greg Campbell, C (Acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers)
Nathan Horton, RW (Acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers)
Nathan McIver, D (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Vancouver Canucks)
Jeremy Reich, LW (Signed as a free agent, previously with the New York Islanders)
Nolan Schaefer, G (Signed as a free agent, previously with CSKA Moscow of the KHL)
Wyatt Smith, C (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Pittsburgh Penguins)
David Warsofsky, D (Acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues)
OFF-SEASON PLAYER LOSSES
Steve Begin, LW (Unsigned Free Agent)
Drew Fata, D (Unsigned Free Agent)
Drew Larman, C (Unsigned Free Agent)
Guillaume Lefebvre, LW (Signed with HC Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Republic)
Kevin Regan, G (Signed with HC Valpellice of Italy)
Dany Sabourin, G (Signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals)
Miroslav Satan, RW (Unsigned Free Agent)
Vladimir Sobotka, C (Traded to the St. Louis Blues)
Dennis Wideman, D (Traded to the Florida Panthers)
Andy Wozniewski, D (Signed with EV Zug of Switzerland)
2009-10 Season Finish: 3rd Northeast Division, 6th Eastern Conference, 91 Pts.
2009-10 Playoffs: Won 4-2 against the Buffalo Sabres in the Quarterfinals
Lost 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Semi-Finals
2010-11 Prediction: 3rd Northeast Division, 7th Eastern Conference
Expectations were high on the Boston Bruins last season after a very successful 2008-09 campaign which saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference. Last season could be seen by many as a disappointment for the Bruins, as they dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference and their offense was sluggish and inconsistent at times. To inject some life into their offense, the Bruins acquired star right wing Nathan Horton from the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Dennis Wideman. Horton will bring plenty of goal-scoring skill and fluid skating to the team's forward lines. Horton will likely play alongside star center Marc Savard, giving the team a good scoring combination on the first line. Savard brings a tremendous amount of offensive talent to the Bruins, as well as excellent playmaking and passing skills. Patrice Bergeron provides plenty of offensive depth and two-way skill to the forward lines, while Michael Ryder brings plenty of goal-scoring depth to the wing. Blake Wheeler brings lots of size and goal-scoring skill to the team's offense, while David Krejci provides lots of two-way skill, as well as passing and playmaking skills. Marco Sturm, who brings plenty of speed and skill to the power play and penalty kill, will miss the start of the regular season after off-season knee surgery and likely won't be back until November. Fan favorite Milan Lucic brings a tremendous amount of strength, toughness, grit, size, and a little offensive skill to the Bruins, while Mark Recchi brings lots of leadership and offensive depth to the wing. Greg Campbell, also acquired in the Horton trade, brings some physical play to the lineup, as well as skill to the penalty kill, while Daniel Paille brings some defensive depth to the checking lines. Shawn Thornton and Jeremy Reich bring lots of grit and toughness to the team and will both play enforcer roles on the team. With Trent Whitfield currently sidelined with an injury that will see him miss the start of the regular season, Wyatt Smith was brought aboard as a likely replacement, and could bring some offensive depth to the fourth line if he makes the team at training camp. Tyler Seguin, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, could very likely make the team this season, and if he does, he will bring lots of offensive skill and two-way play to the forward lines. Other prospect forwards looking to make the team at training camp this year include Brad Marchand, Jamie Arniel, Joe Colborne, Jordan Caron, Zach Hamill, and Yannick Riendeau.
While the loss of Dennis Wideman this past summer in the Nathan Horton trade leaves a big hole in the Bruins' defense, they still possess some talented veteran blueliners and some young defensemen who will look to play bigger roles this season. Zdeno Chara remains the team's top defenseman with his strong intensity, gritty play, offensive skill, and enormous size. Dennis Seidenberg brings lots of mobility, puck-moving skill, and offensive depth to the blueline, while Johnny Boychuk also brings some offensive depth to the team's defense. Mark Stuart brings plenty of defensive depth and toughness to the blueline, while Andrew Ference provides some mobility to the Bruins' defense as a defensive defenseman. Matt Hunwick provides some offensive skill as a fifth or sixth defenseman, while Nathan McIver, Adam McQuaid, and Andrew Bodnarchuk will look to make the team as depth defensemen with their physical play. Other defensive prospects looking to make the team at training camp include Yuri Alexandrov, Matt Bartkowski, Jeff Penner, and Cody Wild. While the team is likely set with their defensive corps, the addition of a veteran defenseman would make them a bit stronger on defense.
The Bruins have a very solid goaltending tandem for next season in the veteran Tim Thomas and youngster Tuukka Rask. Thomas is great at stopping the puck, can make key saves at crucial moments in the game, and plays hard on the ice. Rask, who has a lot of upside, is also great at making key saves and covers a lot of the net. Nolan Schaefer and Matt Dalton figure to be third goalies for the team next season, but will likely spend a lot of time in the minors unless Thomas or Rask should be sidelined with injuries.
TEAM STRENGTHS
- Very strong team in goal.
- Lots of quality, offensive prospects.
- Plenty of goal scorers on offense.
TEAM WEAKNESSES
- Too many inconsistent and injury-prone players on offense.
- Could use another veteran player on defense.
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