There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Boston Bruins headed into the 2022-23 regular season.
While the roster was filled out nicely throughout the offseason, with Boston adding top-six forwards David Krejci and Pavel Zacha. The roster they put together, however, won't be at full strength for quite some time. Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are all expected to miss time to start the season, while Taylor Hall was banged up during the preseason. Oh yeah, they're all going to be playing under a new coach in Jim Montgomery. Will these factors doom the Bruins? No. But they will have an effect on how things shake out early in the season.
Due to all those factors, Boston will rely heavily on a mix of veterans and youngsters early on. Speaking of veterans and youngsters, here are the three bets you can place on the Bruins before the start of the season.
David Pastrnak - Over 84.5 points (-115 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Listen, you're not going to get rich betting on Boston this season. They're good enough in every area for people to know it, but don't really have anyone in contention for any of the major awards during the preseason. So, your best bet is to find some money in the crumbs.
Pastrnak's point totals look like this over his five full seasons: 77 in 2022, 95 in 2020, 81 in 2019, 80 in 2018 and 70 in 2017. Only one of those seasons cleared his preseason mark of 84.5, but the Bruins weren't relying on him as much as they will be in 2023 in those seasons. No Marchand for a few months means there will be some line shuffling. That likely means Pastrnak will spend time alongside Hall, Krejci, Zacha, Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk. At the very least, the 26-year-old should get plenty of opportunities. Who knows, the Czech line may combine for that total by themselves.
Fabian Lysell - Calder Trophy (+6000 at DraftKings)
Let's get crazy, shall we?
Lysell failed to make the Bruins initial roster, being sent down after suffering an injury in the preseason. The slick-handed goal scorer will get his opportunity, just as every young prospect seems to throughout an NHL season. this bet is just trusting that the kid will run with it. If you're looking to take a big swing, this is the play.
To Make Playoffs - Yes (-165 at DraftKings)
The Boston Bruins make the playoffs. It's just what they do.
Boston has made an appearance in the run for Lord Stanley in each of the last six seasons and has only missed the postseason five times since the turn of the century. Considering the odds given by DraftKings, it's safe to say that no one will be surprised when the Bruins qualify yet again in 2022-23. The reason why? Boston has the high-end talent to compete with anyone in any game and has two goaltenders who have each shown an ability to step up in crunch time and preserve a win. In the days of a 16-team tournament, their ticket may as well already be punched.
The Bruins begin their 2022-23 season Wednesday night from Capital One Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on TNT but NESN will air an hour of pre and postgame coverage.
