‘I’ve got a lot of confidence in the players’: Why Patrice Bergeron still expects Bruins to play well following his retirement
'I still expect the same thing from them.'
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Plenty of questions surround the 2023-24 Bruins after an offseason filled with salary cap struggles and the retirement of longtime star Patrice Bergeron.
After their Stanley Cup dreams were crushed by the Florida Panthers last season, some expect the Bruins to have a down year without the former captain and Selke Trophy winner.
Bergeron disagrees.
In an interview with NHL.com’s Hugues Marcil, Bergeron said that even without himself and potentially without David Krejci, who is rumored to retire alongside Bergeron, he still believes Boston will be tough to beat.
“I still expect the same thing from them,” Bergeron told Marcil. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in the players who are on the team at the moment. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the players who are on the team at the moment. There’s a good mix. Some guys have been in Boston for several years now, and they know how to run things and get the new guys to get on the same page as them and to play the Bruins’ style. I’m expecting a good season from them.”
The Bruins went all in to win the Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season, forcing them to ditch large contracts like Taylor Hall’s and miss out on re-signing free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi.
On paper, the 2023-24 Bruins have a much weaker lineup than the team that preceded it, particularly up front. Boston had a chance to use the upcoming season as a rebuilding year, giving opportunities to younger players as it awaits increased cap space in the summer of 2024. Don Sweeney and company opted against that, signing veterans to low-end deals with hopes of competing.
Even with the additions of Milan Lucic, James van Riemsdyk, and Morgan Geekie up front, as well as Kevin Shattenkirk on the backend, Boston’s opening night roster feels underwhelming. But the front office seems to have faith in its returning players. So does Bergeron.
“It’s a team that, every year, finds a way to play the same,” Bergeron said.
If Krejci does decide to hang up the skates, Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha look to be the Bruins’ top two centers to start the season. Both have the potential to excel in those spots, but they’ll need to play confidently and gain consistency on the ice.
Coyle, in particular, will have his work cut out for him attempting to replace one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. Fortunately, he’s coming off one of his best years of two-way hockey since entering the league in 2012. He recorded 45 points (16G, 29A) in 82 games and had a plus-minus rating of +29, by far the highest mark of his career. Coyle also tied his career high in blocked shots with 63.
Zacha slotted into the second center spot last season during Krejci’s injury and if he resumes that role, he’s likely to play alongside van Riemsdyk since Hall’s departure. The 26-year-old center has plenty of offensive upside, coming off a 57-point (21G, 36A) year last season.
The Bruins’ bottom six forwards lack offensive firepower, but strong defense and goaltending may help mitigate that. Boston retained a majority of its defensive core and also kept both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman on for next season.
If the Bruins want to compete again in 2023-24, they’ll need to rely on their defense and hope to get strong contributions from forwards outside of Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. But a Bergeron seal of approval on this unit isn’t a bad start.
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