Why Bruins Sit Near Top Of ESPN’s NHL Future Power Rankings

The Boston Bruins are poised to remain in the hunt for glory for some time.

ESPN on Tuesday ranked the Bruins fourth in an evaluation of how well-positioned each NHL team is for success over the next three years. ESPN gave the Bruins’ roster composition a 90.7 score (ranked second overall), their prospects pool a 63.7 score (ranked 29th), their contracts and salary-cap situations an 85 (ranked third) and their ownership, front office and coaching makeup a 92.3 (ranked first), with the individual categories producing a weighted overall score of 83.1.

“Why they’re here: Boston’s roster features some of the best top-end bargains in the league: Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are both in the middle of long-term deals with cap hits under $7 million per year,” Emily Kaplan wrote.

ESPN reckons Boston’s aging core is the biggest source of concern going forward.

“Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask are all over 30 and Zdeno Chara is 42,” Greg Wyshynski writes. “That’s the heart of what’s been a very good Bruins team, and one that could repeat as Eastern Conference champions this season. … Whether that’s a concern in the next three seasons depends greatly on how this core plays during that stretch.”

The Bruins probably would top the list if their prospect pipeline featured more future stars.

“The prospect system is a real area of weakness for the Bruins, as they’ve had mostly late draft picks in recent seasons,” Chris Peters writes. “There just isn’t a lot of depth here, however, especially on defense, where the team will soon need to replace Zdeno Chara.”

The Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights finished ahead of the Bruins on ESPN’s future power rankings. Nevertheless, each team must prove itself worthy of ESPN’s high esteem once the games begin.