The 2023-24 season has been a mixed bag for the Boston Bruins. Though the team remains atop the Eastern Conference and within three points of first place in the NHL, there are still many areas that could be improved. This isn’t surprising, of course, as the team was expected to experience a significant decline in production from the historic 2022-23 season that saw the Bruins finish with the most wins and the most points by a team ever in a single season. Rather than setting lofty expectations, though, these records serve as a reminder for the Bruins’ last-ditch effort to go all in and win the Stanley Cup with their old guard still somewhat in-tact.
During the offseason, the Bruins witnessed the departure of several key players. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, while Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. Additionally, crucial free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Connor Clifton, Garnet Hathaway, and others chose different paths and signed with new teams. With a severe lack of cap space and a desire to remain competitive, general manager Don Sweeney went to work filling the roster with cost-effective players and internal promotions. With the need for some players to step up and take on a bigger role, there have been some surprising contributors, as well as some disappointing ones.
Related: Revisiting Bruins’ First Half of 2023-24 Predictions
Rather than tackling the task of identifying some of these players alone, I turned to some colleagues here at The Hockey Writers, Drew Johnson and Ryan Gagne, for their help on the matter.
Without further delay, here are the questions (and answers):
Which Boston Bruins Player Has Been the Most Surprising This Season?
The first question had to do with which Bruins’ player has been the most surprising, positively.
Drew Johnson
I’m inclined to say Trent Frederic. He’s on his way to his first 20-goal season and has stepped up big time in solving the Bruins’ two greatest needs heading into the 2023-24 season: depth scoring and the loss of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s production. Right now, I believe he is the frontrunner for the Seventh Player Award.
I would also like to mention James van Riemsdyk: while I expected some production from him when he signed, the Bruins are getting a lot out of his $1 million cap hit. His success on the power play surprised me, but perhaps I underestimated him. Either way, I’m delighted by Frederic and van Riemsdyk’s performances this season.
Ryan Gagne
There are a handful of selections when discussing who the most surprising Bruins player is in 2023-24. Whether fans think it’s Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, James van Riemsdyk, or even Jeremy Swayman, the player who surprises the most is Charlie Coyle.
Considering that Pavel Zacha is the top-line center and making more money, Coyle has more goals and points, which puts him on pace to reach 60 points, a new career-high. After losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the Bruins have become thin at center, allowing Coyle to take over the second line and reshape its identity with captain Brad Marchand.
Whether he’s on the scoresheet or not, there’s no denying everyone can sense his presence on the ice, especially in the faceoff circle where he leads the team in draws taken.
Brandon Share-Cohen
The player that immediately came to my mind for this question was van Riemsdyk. The veteran winger would have been a star in Boston in his prime, but many expected him to be well over the hump by the time he signed his one-year, $1 million contract in the offseason.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound van Riemsdyk would score just 12 goals and 29 points in 61 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. In 37 games with the Bruins, he’s already put up seven goals and 25 points and has been a crucial contributor for the Bruins at 34 years old, especially given his power-play prowess.
Which Boston Bruins Player Has Been the Most Disappointing This Season?
Drew Johnson
Ah, Jake DeBrusk.
He’s streaky, and I don’t tend to like streaky players, but DeBrusk is a player I’ve personally been willing to give second, third and fourth chances. That’s even after he requested to be traded away from the team and then, the following season, rescinded that request. But time is nearly up, and I think the B’s need to consider trading him at this season’s deadline. He’s had some recent production, but for most of the 2023-24 campaign, DeBrusk has been dreadfully silent while playing in a role that needs to generate goals.
Ryan Gagne
Many Boston fans wondered if Hampus Lindholm was worth the ransom the team paid at the 2022 trade deadline. Within a season, he proved all the doubters wrong with a career-high 53 points in 2022-23 while leading the league with a plus-49 rating.
However, in his second full season wearing the Spoked B, Lindholm is only plus-four and is on pace for just 28 points, almost half of what he collected last season. Before this year, he was noticeable every night, whether contributing on offense or shutting other team’s top players down.
Until the announcers mention his name, one can often forget he’s out there patrolling the blueline, making $6 million.
Brandon Share-Cohen
This was a tough decision based on recent play, but DeBrusk is the most obvious name in my mind for this spot. Though he’s scored five goals and nine points in his last nine games dating back to Dec. 27, 2023, it’s the larger body of work that stands out for DeBrusk as disappointing. A streaky player who often goes through down-phases, DeBrusk is no stranger to slumps that call into question his long-term future with the team. Despite DeBrusk’s most recent surge in goals, he’s still on pace for just under 19 goals and 41 points over an 82-game season. Those numbers aren’t good enough when he’s expected to score upwards of 20-25 goals per season for the Bruins in his role.
Given how well DeBrusk has played recently, he could earn himself back into the good graces of Bruins’ fans. The biggest issue is that Bruins’ fans are very well aware of what DeBrusk is capable of, but are forced to watch the slumps happen time and time again. Admittedly, this season isn’t entirely DeBrusk’s fault as the departures of Bergeron especially was bound to affect DeBrusk, but he’ll need to continue playing at the level of his most recent stretch to prove that it was simply growing pains that were holding him back.
