Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2015-16, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2015-16 Stanley Cup pick. Today we continue with the Boston Bruins.

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Puck Drop Preview: 2015-16 Boston Bruins

Last Season

Arguably one of the worst seasons for the Black and Gold squad in quite some time, the Bruins left many fans angry and discontent with their run, or lack thereof, in 2015. After winning the President’s Trophy in 2014 as the team with the best record in the league, the Bruins followed up by finishing 5th in the division and three points out of playoff contention. Rarely do you see a team drop from first in the league to non-contenders – especially considering the majority of the Bruins 2014 squad was still intact.

In 2015, the Bruins finished 41-27-14 for 96 points on the season.

Offseason

This offseason for the Bruins was more of a rollercoaster than Florida’s famous Space Mountain. We knew the Bruins needed to make changes – granted we knew these changes didn’t necessarily have to be massive. Regardless, there was no shortage of transformation.

It all started before the offseason began. The Bruins made the decision to relieve Peter Chiarelli from his duties as general manager and promote Don Sweeney to fill the role. This wasn’t a surprising decision, as the Bruins upper-management made it a point that if the Bruins missed the playoffs, somebody was getting fired. What was relatively surprising, however, was the decision to keep Claude Julien as head coach. Not to say that parting with Julien is long overdue, however you often see a coach being fired before a general manager.

The Bad:

Oh boy, where to start? Sweeney was an absolute shocker in the offseason, both bad and good – but on many occasions considerably bad. First and foremost was the trade that sent Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames in return for a 1st-round pick as well as two 2nd-round picks. Despite contradictory claims that Hamilton was considered a loner in the locker room, the 22-year-old defenseman is a franchise player that, in many cases, should not be traded.

In addition to the Hamilton trade was the trade heard around the world: Boston Bruins trade a third round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Zac Rinaldo. What’s bizarre about this trade is that, not only was there zero speculation that this trade was going to happen, it also doesn’t necessarily improve the Bruins squad. The fourth line, where Rinaldo will likely play, does not improve on the surface when he is put in the line-up. That’s not to say that Rinaldo will not improve his game in Boston, however it is going to be difficult for him to be as effective as the two fourth-liners the Bruins just let go, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille.

Lastly, the Bruins decided to extend Adam McQuaid’s contract four years with an average salary of $2.75 million. Re-signing McQuaid isn’t an awful decision, however the 28-year-old defenseman has not improved his game enough to warrant a pay raise – which is why this extension is considered disappointing.

The Good:

Although there were probably more bad moments than good moments for the Bruins this offseason, there were still moments that shed a little light on the year.

Although many fans were upset with the Bruins decision to trade Milan Lucic, it’s hard to argue that the return was insufficient. The Bruins traded the 27-year-old power forward to the Los Angeles Kings in return for the 13th overall pick, goaltender Martin Jones and young defenseman Colin Miller. Shortly after acquiring Jones, the Bruins sent him to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2016 1st-round pick and Sean Kuraly.

In addition to the Lucic trade, the Bruins managed to fill the physical void left by his departure by signing 27-year-old Matt Beleskey, who formerly played with the Anaheim Ducks. Not only was it a good pick-up for the squad, the contract details are simply adequate. The Bruins gave Beleskey a five-year contract worth $3.8 million – which is much less than many people anticipated. Considering Beleskey is coming off a career-year with 22 goals, this could prove to be an underrated signing of the offseason.

Another positive moment from the offseason would be trading Reilly Smith to the Florida Panthers. Although Smith was a solid player during his tenure with the Bruins, his contract extension and annual cap hit was too high. This warranted a trade in which Smith was sent to the Panthers in exchange for Boston-boy Jimmy Hayes. The Bruins acquired Hayes as a free agent, however the quickly inked him to a three-year deal worth $2.3 million annually.

2015-16 Opening Day Lineup

Forwards

Matt Beleskey – David Krejci – David Pastrnak

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Loui Eriksson

Jimmy Hayes- Chris Kelly – Brett Connolly

Zac Rinaldo – Ryan Spooner – Max Talbot

It’s pick-and-choose as it relates to the lineup of the Bruins forwards. There are so many new names and new slots that the coaching staff are nowhere near being comfortable with any variety of lineups. Line 1: It might be a good idea to play Beleskey with Krejci and Pastrnak considering he is a grinder and may add a similar physical presence that Milan Lucic did. Line 2: We’ve seen Marchand, Bergeron and Eriksson in action before and it often works like a charm. Line 3: A line consisting of Hayes, Kelly and Connolly is a total shot in the dark, as they have zero chemistry going in to the season. It may take the Bruins 3rd line some time to be effective, but once chemistry begins to form, they should be one of the Bruins most effective lines. Line 4: Many of the NHL’s 4th lines are not very important, however the Bruins are famous for having effective and competitive 4th lines. A line consisting of Rinaldo, Spooner and Talbot could be a very effective line once some chemistry is formed between the three.

Defenseman

Zdeno Chara – Dennis Seidenberg

Adam McQuaid – Torey Krug

Kevan Miller – Zach Trotman

Predicting the Bruins defensemen is not as difficult as predicting the Bruins forwards, however there are still some open slots that could go to anyone who is considered deserving. With the departure of Hamilton, there will be huge shoes to fill, so finding who that defenseman will be is not easy task.

Goaltenders

Tuukka Rask

Malcolm Subban

There is no question as to who the Bruins starting goaltender is going in to the season, however there were some questions in regards to who the Bruins back-up goaltender would be. With the departure of Niklas Svedberg, this finally gives Bruins rookie goaltender Malcolm Subban the opportunity to test his skills and improve.

Players To Watch

Zdeno Chara

It will be important to watch Bruins Zdeno Chara over the course of the 2015-2016 season. At 38 years old, many people believe that age is catching up to him. Additionally, Chara has had a few knee injuries which have potentially set his game back a bit. If he is in fact on the decline, it might just be time for the Bruins to trade him away.

On The Rise

David Pastrnak

The Boston Bruins selected David Pastrnak 25th overall in 2014, and as of yet, he has been nothing but a rookie sensation for the Bruins. Pastrnak has a unique offensive game – one that I can only compare to that of Jaromir Jagr. Pastrnak can control the puck in uncontrollable areas and, best of all, finish goals. If all goes well, Pastrnak might just turn out to be one of the NHL’s next superstars.

On The Decline

Chris Kelly

Many are wondering if this is the year when the Bruins finally decide to split with Kelly. Although Kelly has been an important member of the Bruins organization over the years, his game continues to drop and his productivity is plummeting with it. He doesn’t perform like a 3rd line center should, and he certainly shouldn’t be getting paid $3 million a year.

2015-2016 Season Predictions

It’s not easy to predict what lies ahead for the Bruins considering all of the new faces in management and on the ice. On the surface, this looks like a team that can make the playoffs and win a round or two, however the Bruins Stanley Cup Championship odds have gone way down since 2011. I don’t expect the Bruins to miss the playoffs next year, however if the chemistry does not click between the new faces, it’s entirely possible that Beantown goes another year yelling in late May, “PLAYOFFS?!”

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