The depth of talent in the NHL is immense, but the Bruins still saw three players make the cut for ESPN’s top 50 players for the 2022-23 NHL season.
A panel of writers ranked the top 100 players based on who they think will have the best season. Boston center Patrice Bergeron just missed the cut in the top 50 with a ranking of 51.
“The 37-year-old Bergeron has remained so consistent, the last time he was not top three in Selke voting was more than a decade ago,” Ryan S. Clark wrote.
The list emphasizes expectations for the 2022-23 season and predicting potential greatness, rather than past performance. The three Bruins who made the top 50 were left wing Brad Marchand at 43, defenseman Charlie McAvoy at 34 and right wing David Pastrnak at 21.
“He’s the player everyone loves to hate,” Clark wrote of Marchand. “And that only seems to fuel Marchand’s fire. The 34-year-old led Boston with 80 points last season, and eclipsed the 30-goal mark for the fifth time in seven seasons. Deep into his career, Marchand remains one of the NHL’s elite left wingers — and the Bruins will feel his absence deeply to start the 2022-23 campaign, as the veteran continues recovering from offseason hip surgery.”
Marchand has participated in light practice with the Bruins, but he is still expected to return to game action in late November. McAvoy has a similar timeline of return as he recovers from a shoulder injury, but the 24-year-old should make a big impact when he comes back on the ice.
“The Bruins’ top-pairing defenseman is the total package — a great skater with good instincts, physical and an excellent puck-mover with an elite first pass,” Kristen Shilton wrote. “McAvoy’s value may be felt most in how well Boston survives — or doesn’t — the start of this season without him as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.”
Marchand and McAvoy took a step down from their ranking in last year’s list — No. 9 and No. 21, respectively. But Pastrnak got a bump up in his ranking from No. 25 in 2021-22.
“If Pastrnak can sidestep any distraction over his yet-to-be-finalized contract extension, then the Bruins’ top goal-scorer should be in line for another impressive season,” Shilton wrote. “Pastrnak paced Boston in goals last year (40) and averaged over a point-per-game with 77 in 72 games. David Krejci being back in Boston should help, too.”
Jim Montgomery’s squad has gotten off to a promising start after the first four games of the season. The Bruins will look for a bounce-back win when they take on the Anaheim Ducks at TD Garden on Thursday.
