Ahhh, as I woke up and took a nice deep breath of some crisp, fall air I realized that it’s October now. And that means that it’s officially hockey season! There is a little more than 24 hours to go until the first puck drop between our beloved Bruins and the Washington Capitals. Before we all buckle in as loyal fans, there are a few things to keep in mind about this Bruins team. Since I am such a thoughtful and considerate person, I’ve decided to breakdown the most important issues to look out for as the season gets going.

The development and growth of Boston’s young talent: I know, this isn’t the most profound statement, as anyone who has even remotely followed the team knows how bright the future is. That being said, there is a huge window of opportunity for a handful of players entering their second season with the Bruins. How they handle these opportunities will have a dramatic impact on the team’s success in 2019. Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen were all regulars in the lineup last year, and have proven that they can handle an increased workload.

DeBrusk showed his speed, selflessness and grit last year on his way to 16G and 27A in his first season with the black and gold. He was also the most consistent player through 12 playoff games, scoring 8 points before the team was ousted by Tampa Bay. Look for DeBrusk to add to that point total in his sophomore season.

Heinen had some ups and downs in his first full season with Boston, but was able to limit mistakes while being responsible with the puck in all three zones. A red-hot December and January helped him on his way to 16G and 31A. The departure of journeymen like Riley Nash, Tim Schaller, and Tommy Wingels, and seasoned veterans Rick Nash and Brian Gionta means there will be higher expectations for Heinen; he will need to show that he can be a more consistent presence on the ice, and will likely be asked to center the third line as opposed to playing left wing where got comfortable last year.

At just 20 years old, McAcoy averaged over 22 minutes in 63 games. He did have to deal with heart surgery, as well as a sprained MCL which caused him to miss 15 games. Boston’s blue line still has some big question marks, with an aging Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug missing the start of the season with an ankle injury. McAvoy will be tested early and often with games against Alex Ovechkin, Johnny Gaudreau, and Connor McDavid (twice) in the first 2 weeks of the season. There will be some growing pains, but if he can stay healthy Charlie could blossom into one of the league’s premier defensemen.

Slightly further down the Bruins depth chart are talented wingers Ryan Donato and Anders Bjork. Both players got just a brief stint with Boston last year, but should presumably be slotted into more permanent roles this season. Bjork started last year as Patrice Bergeron’s RW, and played fairly well in the team’s first 16 games (3G, 6A) before struggling through various shoulder/neck injuries. Donato burst on to the scene in March, already a fan favorite. The second generation Bruin had led Harvard in the Beanpot, and then the Hockey East tournament, and shined for Team USA in the Olympics. The sky is the limit for Donato, but with just 15 NHL games under his belt it’s hard to tell how representative his impressive scoring (5G+4A=9PTS in 12 regular season games) output truly is. Much like McAvoy, there will be some growing pains for Bjork and Donato. It’s also likely for these players to be in a bit of a timeshare, as they are both more accustomed to playing left wing, with a left-handed shot.

Goalie play: Again, this might sound like I’m beating a dead horse, but the team’s ultimate success is largely predicated upon the performance of its goaltenders. We have seen what kind of offensive display this team is capable of, and there will be plenty of games that Boston scores upwards of 4, 5, 6, or more goals. I also expect the team to take care of business against the teams it should beat. However, what kind of goaltending will we see in the tight games against tougher competition? Can the Bruins pull out a 3-2 or a 2-1 victory?

In years past, people (myself included) have been quick to jump all over Tuukka Rask when he’s had a few bad games; calling for his head and asking for him to be shipped off. Last year the team had the luxury of outstanding play by backup Anton Khudobin. This season, however, we will see 14-year veteran Jaroslav Halak rotating in with Tuukka. Halak (who is 33 years old, and much like Dobby, is under six feet tall) is sporting a career GAA of 2.50 with a .916 SV%, and those numbers have been growing increasingly bad over the last two years. In his last 82 games with the New York Islanders, Halak has posted an inflated 2.99 GAA along with roughly a .911 SV%; not exactly anything to write home about. Now, Halak has at least had the experience of being a starter for many years whereas Khudobin has mostly been a career backup, so if the B’s coaching staff is looking for more of a 50/50 split in net he should be able to provide them with that. Unfortunately, if Tuukka does struggle I don’t expect to see Halak swoop in and be the Bruins’ saving grace. While he might be able to spell Tuukka for longer periods of time, I can see a situation where this team just has two subpar goalies. Their work will be cut out for them against the likes of Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington and Pittsburgh which all have high-flying offenses coupled with vezina-caliber net minders.

Key players who could have an immediate impact: As I mentioned, Torey Krug will be out for what looks like at least 3 weeks or so, and that opens up a spot on defense. Rookie Urho Vaakanainen has been the preseason darling for this team, and is the early-season fan favorite coming out of camp. The 19-year-old from Finland was Boston’s 18th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and it looks like he will be the first in line at playing time with Krug sidelined. With all of the success that rookies have had here lately it’s hard not to get excited about another promising teenager getting a chance to shine, but let’s just pump the brakes a little bit. I’m looking for Vaakanainen to put together a few decent games, learn his way around the NHL and get comfortable in the zone; anything else beyond that is all gravy. Opening night against Washington will certainly be a baptism by fire, but luckily after that the competition subsides drastically with Boston’s next four games coming against Buffalo, Ottawa, Edmonton and Detroit. If the rookie can hang in there for the first 5 games it will go a long way in his development, no matter how permanent his role is moving forward.

The loss of Tim Schaller was hard for me to take when I heard he was signed by Vancouver early this summer. However, the addition of Chris Wagner takes a bit of the sting away. Timmy was a great fourth-liner that fit right into the culture in Boston. He’s a “local” guy from Merrimack, NH who didn’t really get a chance until coming to the Bruins. I’m telling you right now, by November Chris Wagner will be the next hottest thing in Boston. Anyone who knows how this organization likes to play and appreciates the guys that do the hard work will LOVE Wagner. Another local (he’s from Walpole, MA) coming home to play for the Bs, Wagner was finally given a serious chunk of playing time last year while in Anaheim. The Ducks dealt with a lot of injuries early last season, and with both Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler out of the lineup, he filled in as a second line center, even getting some PP time. At 6’0″ and 200lbs. Wagner is more at home on the fourth line and should be able to keep up his end of the bargain alongside players like Noel Acciari and Sean Kuraly. It will be good to know this team has some back-end stability, yet with enough skill and dependability to play up in the lineup as well, if called upon.

If the Bruins can stay healthy it should alleviate some of the strain that the team felt early last year. If not, look for the aforementioned scenarios to play out. If the team struggles and can’t get out of its own way, or if it continues to overachieve, you can likely look to these key factors as reasons why.

Jegs-