Five BOLD Bruins predictions for 2022-23 NHL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins begin their 2022-23 NHL season Wednesday night against a familiar foe in the Washington Capitals.
A lot has happened with the Bruins since they were eliminated in Game 7 of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and hired Jim Montgomery to replace him. Don Sweeney was given a contract extension as general manager. Boston traded Erik Haula to the New Jersey Devils for Pavel Zacha. First-line left wing Brad Marchand, No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy and top-four defenseman Matt Grzelcyk all had offseason surgery and won’t be available Opening Night. Patrice Bergeron returned for a 19th season, and David Krejci came back following a one-year break playing in the Czech Republic.
It was a busy offseason, to say the least.
Are we about to witness this Bruins core’s ‘Last Dance’?
Predictions for the Bruins have been a little all over the place the last couple weeks. Most fans and experts are skeptical of this team’s ability to be a title contender. Analytics models are much more bullish on Boston’s chances.
With the regular season about to commence, here are five BOLD predictions for your 2022-23 Bruins.
David Pastrnak scores 57 goals, wins Rocket Richard Trophy
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Pastrnak is an elite goal scorer but, for a variety of reasons, he has yet to reach the 50-goal milestone. That drought comes to an end this season when he scores a career-high 57 and wins the Rocket Richard Trophy for the second time in his career.
One huge reason why Pastrnak is going to enjoy a fantastic campaign is the return of David Krejci, who is not only a tremendous playmaker but has great chemistry with the superstar right winger.
Pastrnak struggled at times when Erik Haula was the second-line center last season. The 26-year-old forward scored just eight goals from Opening Night through Dec. 31. He exploded in the second half of the season with 32 goals in his final 46 games.
Report: Bruins willing to make strong financial commitment to Pastrnak
Pastrnak is in the prime of his career, he’s healthy, he’s playing with a top-tier pass-first center, and he should get loads of power-play ice time. There are lots of factors working in his favor toward scoring a new career high in goals.
There will be plenty of competition for this award, though. Seventeen players scored 40 or more goals last season, including Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews and his league-leading 60. Matthews, who has won the Rocket Richard in back-to-back seasons, became the first player to score 60 goals in a single campaign since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.
Jake DeBrusk scores 30-plus goals
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Sensing a theme? Yes, we expect the Bruins to be a much better offensive team this season. DeBrusk setting a career-high in goals would go a long way toward making that a reality.
DeBrusk’s strong finish to the 2021-22 campaign saw him finish with 25 goals — two shy of his career high 27 set in 2018-19.
One of the primary reasons for DeBrusk’s much-improved second half of last season was his switch to right wing on the first line alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. DeBrusk scored 10 of his 25 goals with Bergeron on the ice last season, and his 16.56 shooting percentage when playing with the B’s captain was the highest he had with any center on the team.
Playing with two elite players (once Marchand returns from injury) on a consistent basis should give DeBrusk plenty of chances to score goals. He’s also likely to be a fixture on the second power-play unit.
DeBrusk also seems to be in a better place in a big-picture sense. It wasn’t any secret that he had a rocky relationship at times with previous head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was fired in May and replaced by Jim Montgomery, so now DeBrusk has a fresh start with a new coach. DeBrusk also rescinded his trade request over the offseason and seems perfectly content with being a Bruin.
Jack Studnicka plays a full NHL season for first time
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It’s now or never for Studnicka, who has been unable to crack the Bruins’ lineup on a consistent basis over the last three years.
This year will be different, though. A strong training camp and preseason helped earn him a spot on the Opening Night roster for the first time in his career. Sure, having to go through waivers to report to the AHL was probably a factor in that decision by the Bruins, but the 2017 second-round draft pick earned his spot with his play on the ice.
Studnicka’s playmaking ability and speed should give the Bruins’ bottom-six group a much-needed jolt of offensive skill. Today’s NHL is a fast-paced and highly skilled game, and Boston’s third and fourth lines have been slow to adapt to that trend in recent years.
A motivated Studnicka will not only be a regular and meaningful contributor, he’ll re-sign next offseason to a multi-year contract (that’s a prediction, not reporting).
Fabian Lysell plays 35-plus games and scores at least 10 goals
Lysell is the Bruins’ top prospect and absolutely electric with the puck. He showcases impressive speed, goal-scoring ability and is an underrated playmaker. He has the potential to be a top-six forward in the NHL for a long time, but with the Bruins having a crowded group at right wing, the 2021 first-round pick is beginning the season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
WATCH: Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell score insane goal at World Juniors
It might not be long before Lysell makes his NHL debut, though. The Bruins need to maximize their short window to win the Stanley Cup with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. If Lysell lights it up in Providence and makes a huge impact offensively, it would be foolish to keep him down there.
Lysell on the second or third line would give the Bruins a nice boost of speed and offensive skill. The Swedish forward won’t play enough games to be a real contender for the Calder Trophy, but he should make a strong impact in whatever role he is given.
Bruins beat Lightning in Round 1, but lose to Hurricanes again
The road to the Stanley Cup Final through the Eastern Conference is brutal, especially for the Atlantic Division teams such as the Bruins. The Atlantic is the most talented division in the league, where three of the five teams (Lightning, Leafs, Panthers) with the best Stanley Cup title odds reside.
The Bruins will surprise fans and much of the national media by finishing third in the division, earning them a first-round matchup with the Lightning. A hard-fought, low-scoring series will end with the Bruins eliminating the Lightning at home in Game 6 as Jeremy Swayman outplays Andre Vasilevskiy in net.
After ending the Lightning’s attempt for a fourth straight Eastern Conference title, the Bruins’ exciting playoff run continues with a second-round victory over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. It will be the fourth time in the last 10 years that Boston eliminates Toronto from the playoffs.
That excitement will be short lived, though. The Bruins will be eliminated from the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes for the second consecutive season, this time in a six-game Eastern Conference Final series. The ‘Canes get their revenge for 2019 and advance to play the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. In our season predictions piece published Tuesday, we picked the Avalanche to repeat as Stanley Cup champs.
