Training camp has officially begun for the NHL, and the 2024-25 season is underway. The biggest story dominating Boston Bruins’ headlines is of course Jeremy Swayman, who remains unsigned. It would certainly be bad news for the team if he were to remain unsigned when the season begins in October, especially considering they traded their other goaltender, Linus Ullmark, at the start of the offseason.
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But as the 2024-25 season begins to get underway, there are a number of other questions besides Swayman’s contract that will have to be answered. There are three that I think will be most impactful and intriguing to follow once the regular season officially starts on Oct. 8.
How Will the Team Fare Without Dominant Goalie Tandem?
The strongest aspect of the Bruins’ game the past two seasons has been the strength of the team’s goaltending. This is thanks to the play of both Swayman and Ullmark. They were the strongest goalie tandem in the league. They pretty much evenly split the games in the regular season, giving Boston a solid goaltender in net each night. Both goalies saved games that the team would have lost if they hadn’t been the ones in net.
During the past two regular seasons, there has never been a question about the strength of goaltending. That isn’t as much of the case going into this season. Swayman contract difficulties aside, without both him and Ullmark, the strength at the goaltending position has weakened. Joonas Korpisalo is presumed to be the backup behind Swayman this season, and is coming off of a very rough season with the Ottawa Senators. There is no longer a guarantee that the Bruins will have a top-end goaltender in net each night.
The Bruins have made improvements to the roster in front of the net, but will it be enough? Will Korpisalo bounce back and be able to hold things down when he’s rotated in? Can the team withstand Swayman missing any amount of games, whether it’s for contract reasons or an injury?
Boston has been blessed with A+ goaltending every night for the past two seasons. Swayman is terrific and will be worth every penny of his eventual contract, but he can’t be in net every night. The big question then becomes, is the roster strong enough to survive no longer having a top-end rotation anymore?
How Will Poitras Perform in Second Season?
Matthew Poitras was a very pleasant surprise for the Bruins’ organization last season. After several seasons of struggling to integrate young players and being consistently ranked amongst the bottom of prospect pools in the NHL, general manager (GM) Don Sweeney got a win when Poitras, a 2022 second-round pick, made the roster out of training camp as a 19-year-old. His game grew exponentially in the year between his draft and making the roster, faster than probably anyone anticipated.
Unfortunately, Poitras’ rookie season was cut short due to shoulder surgery. In 33 games, the now 20-year-old had five goals and 15 points. He was also a plus-4. While his season was cut short, he still showed plenty of promise and gave the organization a lot to be excited about.
Coming into this season, there are a number of questions surrounding him. Should Poitras spend some time down with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL)? Last season, his age took out that option, but now, there are some compelling arguments to send him down for a month or two. Another question is whether or not he’ll play center or move out to the wing. He’s traditionally played the center position and the Bruins always need more depth at that position. But with Elias Lindholm and Charlie Coyle basically locked in as one and two on the depth chart, would it be better to play him on the third line or move him out to the wing on the first or second line to give him more minutes?
The sophomore slump has affected many young NHL players over the years, but so far in training camp, Poitras seems ready to take on the season. He’s gained weight and comes into 2024-25 with some solid NHL experience. He remains one of the most anticipated Bruins to watch in 2024-25 and it will be interesting to see what the organization ends up doing with him.
Will Elias Lindholm Bounce Back?
Lindholm was signed at the start of free agency this past summer to be the Bruins’ top center. He’s had some very solid seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames that proved he could be that top guy on an NHL roster. The Bruins’ front office certainly thinks he can and will be the guy, signing him to a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $7.75 million. He is currently the third highest-paid player on the roster, trailing only David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.
Lindholm is coming off of a down season. In 2023-24, he played 49 games for the Flames, registering only nine goals and 32 points before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. He struggled to adjust to his new team in the regular season, only contributing six goals and 12 points in 26 games, though he did make some improvements in the playoffs. In total, he had 15 goals and 44 points in 75 games last season. It was his worst season since 2017-18 when he had 16 goals and 44 points in 81 games.
The Bruins are paying Lindholm to be more like the guy he was from the 2018-19 season through the 2022-23 season than he was in 2023-24. From his arrival in Calgary until last season, he was getting over 20 goals and 50 total points a season. His best came in 2021-22 when he had 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games.
Lindholm is only 29 years old, so he should still be able to be a major contributor and get back to his career highs. The Bruins clearly think he can, but the question remains if he actually will.
Preseason Approaching
The Bruins are set to play their first preseason game on Sept. 22 against the New York Rangers. While this most likely won’t feature many of the faces that will be part of the team’s opening night roster, it will certainly still be exciting to see the black and gold back on the ice after several long months without Bruins hockey.
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The preseason will also be the first opportunity to start getting some answers to these questions. Korpisalo, Poitras, and Lindholm will all be guys to keep an eye on throughout training camp and preseason.