After climbing from last place to a playoff contending team, the Boston Bruins are looking to keep the momentum going as heading into Year 2 for GM Mike Ramsey. On the offensive side, the top six remains similar to last season after a breakout year from C Filip Chytil and a career revival from veteran C Louie Caporusso. Those two will be expected to hold down the middle of the ice while flanked by developing youngsters Juraf Slafkovsky and Tyson Foerster and seasoned veterans Anders Lee and Sven Baerschi. Along with a completely revamped third line headed by offseason acquisition Ryan Strome and another promising rookie in Anton Lundell. There should be plenty of scoring this year in Beantown.
On the other end of the ice, GM Ramsey made several moves to try and improve what was considered the weakest link in 2028. Former cup winner Ty Wishart will be relied upon again to bring grit and experience along with budding young star Adam Boqvist as the only returning defensemen from last years defensive corps. Another former cup winner Brandon Gormley was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Seattle as well as veterans Pat Nemeth and Jake Walman in other deals over the offseason. All three will be expected to provide stability and leadership on the blue line.
In the crease, a rejuvenated Semyon Varlamov was re-signed for two more years in an effort to finally claim a cup before hanging up the pads. He is expected to be a workhorse between the pipes and to mentor future tender Jake Oettinger. Their strong relationship was well received by both the coaching staff and the fans as they continue to push each other to get better each week.
GM Ramsey prioritized bringing in solid locker room guys to help the continued development of the young core blossoming in Boston. The leadership both on and off the ice will be vital for a team will likely have a target on their backs and have sky high expectations to improve on last season. As the season gets underway, it will be interesting to see if this team can live up to the pressure in TitleTown.
9/15/2023 - 358 words
