BOSTON BRUINS: 08-09 Season Preview

07-08 RECORD: 41-29-12 94 points
DIVISION: 3rd
CONFERENCE: 8th
RESULT: Lost in 1st round

07-08 OFF-SEASON:
ARRIVALS: RW Micheal Ryder(MON), RW Blake Wheeler(PHO)
DEPARTURES: D Bobby Allen, G Alex Auld, C Glen Metropolit, RW Glen Murray

The Bruins stayed awful quiet this off-season after a surprising playoff appearance. GM Peter Chiarelli did want to add some size on the wings to compensate for their small but talent centers in Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron. Chiarelli didn't wait at all singing RW Michael Ryder on day one. Ryder coming off a very disappointing and awful year which saw him get healthy scratched down the stretch of the season and for the majority of the Canadiens playoff games. Chiarelli over-paid insanely to get Ryder who after all of that got a raise to come and play for the Bruins. Hope is that Ryder can find his game again under former coach Claude Julien. Only time will tell. Chiarelli also added 6'5 highly touted winger Blake Wheeler. Wheeler has lots of potential after the Coyotes took him with the 5th overall pick in 2004 but is still on the outside looking in coming into this season. The Bruins dumped some salary to finished off the summer when they bought out veteran Glenn Murray.

CAP HIT: 55.47 million

FORWARDS:
My Projected Lines:
1- M.STURM-M.SAVARD-M.RYDER
2- M.LUCIC-P.BERGERON-C.KOBASEW
3- B.WHEELER-D.KREJCI-P.KESSEL
4- P-J.AXELSSON-S.YELLE-J.REICH
E- P.SCHAEFER-V.SOBOTKA-S.THORNTON/P.NOKELAINEN

The Bruins look solid up front. They have tons of youth but still have some veterans to lead the way. It all starts will Savard who has proven that he is among the best in the NHL. His playmaking ability is really what keeps him near the top in the scoring race year in and year out. This year he has the potential of a true sniper on his wing if Ryder is able to regain his form. Before last season, Ryder posted back-to-back 30 goal seasons and with Savard as his centerman he could see those numbers again. Marco Sturm finishes out the top line and will bring speed and some extra scoring ability. The Bruins are hoping Patrice Bergeron is able to make a full recovery this season after sitting out all but 10 games last year after getting a severe concussion from a hit by Flyers defensemen Randy Jones. If he is able to regain his form the Bruins will boast one of the best 1, 2 center punches in the league. Milan Lucic and Chuck Kobasew will look to continue their success from last year and with Bergeron their production could go up. Wheeler, David Krejci and Phil Kessel are probably the line with the most potential in the whole league. They are all still young, have good talent and have the right mix of size and speed if paired all on the same line. Stephane Yelle and long-time Bruin P-J Axelsson lead this young group from the 4th line while Jeremy Reich and Shawn Thornton bring the toughness. Peter Schaefer is on the outside looking in too so dont be surprised if you see the Bruins trying to move him.

DEFENSE:
My Projected Pairings:
1- D.WIDEMAN-Z.CHARA
2- M.STUART-A.FERENCE
3- A.WARD-S.HNIDY
E- M.LASHOFF-A.ALBERTS

The defense is also a young group but it is lead by their gigantic captain Zdeno Chara. Chara is amazing at what he does especially for a guy his size. He can dominate games night in and night out. Denis Wideman was a pleasant surprise last season and was rewarded with a new 4 year contract. He looks like he will be a solid top-4 defensemen for years to come. Andrew Ference and Aaron Ward also bring alot of expierence to the blueline with both of them appearing in the Cup finals and Ward having won the Cup back with Carolina. The battle for the last two spots will be between young guns, Mark Stuart, Matt Lashoff, Andrew Alberts and veteran Shane Hnidy. Mark Stuart looks to have one of the spots locked up after his good performance last season while Alberts and Lashoff will battle for the last one. Hnidy probably isn't a everyday defensemen so he fits in as either the 6th or 7th defensemen.

GOALIES:
1- T.THOMAS
2- M.FERNANDEZ
3- T.RASK

The Bruins all of a sudden have depth at the goaltending position with Manny Fernandez back after a season of injuries. Tim Thomas played well for the Bruins at times but is definitely better off splitting time with Fernandez to get the best out. Fernandez could return to his old form and play more games than Thomas but look to it as probably a 45-35 split. Tuukka Rask will have more time to develop down in Providence but is definitely the Bruins goalie of the future.

OVERALL:

The Bruins have good depth throughout their whole team but will be in tough to make the playoffs with lots of the other eastern teams improving their rosters. The Bruins have alot riding on Ryder, 4 million to be exact whether Ryder can live up to it is another question. It was definitely the second most shocking signing on Canada day and I dont think the price they gave him is worth it. With Chara and Savard and the duo of Thomas and Fernandez the Bruins will be competitive all year and will come down to games 79-92 to see whether they will continue into the post season.

PREDICTION: 3rd Division, 9th Conference