Now that we have entered the month of September, the 2023-24 NHL season is getting closer and closer. The Boston Bruins kick off training camp on Sept. 20 at Warrior Ice Arena for the first time without either of their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Not only are the Black and Gold losing two very good face-off men but also two good play-makers.
Without their top two centers, just how much offense will they get? That remains to be seen but with camp on the horizon, it’s time to make four bold player predictions for the 2023-24 season.
Jake DeBrusk Scores 30-Plus Goals
You might be thinking, how is this a bold prediction as he has twice scored a career-high 27 goals? This season, unlike last season, Jake DeBrusk is not going to have Bergeron as his center, which played a role in his resurgence the last year and a half. He’s looking at either Pavel Zacha or Charlie Coyle as his centers, not really the play-makers that Bergeron was.
DeBrusk enters the season playing in a contract year and he recently spoke about wanting to remain in Boston beyond this season. If history tells us anything, general manager (GM) Don Sweeney signs players before the season starts and it will be interesting to see how he handles the 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft. If the Edmonton native is going to get paid and take the next step in his career, a 30-plus goal season will help him achieve that.
Charlie McAvoy Has 50-Plus Assists
Scoring is expected to be down a little bit without Bergeron and Krejci around. With the offseason additions made by Sweeney, it appears that there are going to be a lot of 2-1 or 3-2 games this season with the Bruins banking on their defense and goaltending to win them games. Charlie McAvoy is their best offensive defenseman and will be looked upon as someone to contribute.
McAvoy’s career-high in assists is 46 in 2021-22 in 78 games. This season, he’s expected to quarterback the top power-play unit that is going to have to produce a lot and it has the talent to do so. He is still the Bruins’ top offensive defenseman in transition, where he picks up a fair share of his assists. Boston is going to need as much production from the defense this season and McAvoy providing it is going to be key. If healthy, 50 assists is not out of the question.
Morgan Geekie Scores 20-Plus Goals
Last season, Zacha had a breakout season in Boston playing with a bigger role on the second line. This year, the Bruins are hoping that they find the same luck with Morgan Geekie who many think has more ability than he has shown. Signed to a two-year contract, his previous career-high in goals is nine, which he set last season with the Seattle Kraken.
Related: Bruins’ Success in 2023-24 Hinges on Zacha & Coyle
This season, he is training camp wild-card and can play multiple positions on the wing and at center. He’s not going to have the luxury of having players like Krejci and David Pastrnak on his line like Zacha had, but getting a more expanded role in Boston could be beneficial. He’s going to get time on the second power-play unit, maybe even some time on the first, but don’t be surprised to see him in the top six at some point. There is just a gut feeling that this is a breakout candidate that will surprise a lot of people in 2023-24 and he finds a consistent goal-scoring touch.
Jeremy Swayman Wins More Games Than Linus Ullmark
All eyes this season will be on Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark who was hands down the best goalie last season in the NHL. He went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average (GAA) and a .938 save percentage (SV%). Nobody saw that season coming and repeating that performance is nearly unrealistic. Jeremy Swayman quietly had a strong season as well in 2022-23.
Last season, Swayman was 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA, a .920 SV%, and four shutouts. There is no doubt that Ullmark will take a step back this season, but Swayman is playing on a one-year contract and will be motivated. What the number of wins for each is a total toss-up as the defense will be good in front of Swayman and Ullmark, but just how much rubber are they going to see on a nightly basis and how much offense their forwards can provide is the key. The prediction here is that Swayman wins 30-plus games and takes control of the crease for the season similar to what his teammate did last season.
Entering this season, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Bruins, but with the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference getting better, it’s going to be very difficult for them to find their way into the postseason. If they are, they will need most, if not all, of these predictions to come close to being correct.
