The Boston Bruins completed their final preseason game Saturday night, meaning head coach Bruce Cassidy and Co. have little time to figure out who will dress Opening Night.
Boston begins its regular season Wednesday on the road against the Washington Capitals. The Bruins entered training camp with plenty of questions, and at this juncture some of them are answered. Still, not much is certain when it comes to determining who Cassidy will roll out at Capital One Arena later this week.
With that in mind, we took our best shot at predicting who will play and where when the puck drops on the 2018-19 NHL season.
Forwards
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk-David Krejci-Ryan Donato
Danton Heinen-Sean Kuraly-David Backes
Joakim Nordstrom-Noel Acciari-Chris Wagner
Scratches: Lee Stempniak, Anders Bjork
While there’s been plenty of discussion about breaking up the top line, it doesn’t seem like there’s much reason to. The unit was prolific last season, and continuing to build upon that chemistry only will provide ever-important offensive stability.
Krejci is at his best when he’s able to pass instead of being his line’s primary goal-scorer. DeBrusk was impressive in his rookie campaign, and he did a fine job finding the back of the net in the postseason, sharing the team lead. While Donato hasn’t had a stellar preseason, he’s a creative scorer who loves shooting, so one has to figure putting both he and DeBrusk alongside Krejci could make a dangerous second unit.
In light of Riley Nash’s departure, the third-line center role between Danton Heinen and David Backes was the most noticeable spot the B’s needed to fill up front. Kuraly long has been linked to it, and while he could remain on the fourth line, he seems like the natural fit. Trent Frederic also could earn the spot, but Cassidy has made clear the Bruins don’t need to rely on rookies as much this season, so Frederic instead may benefit from a full season in Providence in lieu of being a healthy scratch some nights. Heinen and Donato could flip-flop between the second and third lines, but Heinen fit well with Backes last season, so with a new center, keeping the pair together might be for the best — at least for the short term.
Cassidy used the Nordstrom-Acciari-Wagner line in the preseason finale, and the trio makes sense. Wagner’s ability as a penalty killer, coupled with his solid camp, could carve him an important role. Injury has abbreviated part of Nordstrom’s camp, but he is a good skater who also can contribute on the PK. Combining the two newcomers with Acciari could provide Boston with a fourth line that plays a pretty physical game.
It’s unlikely the Bruins keep both Stempniak and Daniel Winnik, both of whom were brought to camp on PTOs and performed well, on the roster. But Stempniak played well enough to justify a roster spot, and Bjork showed he was just about ready to be a regular NHL player last year before his season ended prematurely due to injury. Both could slot in anywhere up front if someone gets injured or goes cold.
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug-Brandon Carlo
John Moore-Kevan Miller
Scratch: Grzelcyk
A lot of this is contingent on the health of both Krug and Grzelcyk, as both are dealing with lower-body injuries. If neither are able to go Wednesday, Cassidy expressed comfort in the possibility of slotting in Urho Vaakanainen. But for the purpose of this exercise, we’ll assume both Krug and Grzelcyk are good to go.
Much like the top forward line, there’s no reason to break up the Chara-McAvoy tandem. They were too good together last year to where there’s really no logical reason for breaking up what they’ve built together.
Krug and Carlo are a good fit because of how well their games compliment one another. Carlo has no issues being the defensive-minded guy when Krug wants to push forward, and Krug’s ability to create offensive chances offsets Carlo’s lack of a scoring touch.
Kevan Miller partnered well with Grzelcyk last season, but the Bruins seem high on Moore, meaning he’s probably going to get a chance to prove he belongs in the lineup. Still, it’s going to be tough to scratch Grzelcyk every night. If health is on Boston’s side (which, again, it may not be), Cassidy is going to have to find ways to get the 24-year-old sufficient ice time. Not out of obligation, but because he deserves it.
Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Let’s not overcomplicates this: Rask is the primary goalie. He remains a top 10 backstop in the NHL, and while having Halak to push him — much like Anton Khudobin did — will be beneficial, Rask will continue to carry the load.
