Opening night for the Boston Bruins is just one week away and as of now, the 20 players that will dawn the Spoked-B this season seem all but confirmed. With many potential internal progressions as well as the additions of some new faces to the roster, we will rank the current members of the Bruins to set an early precedent that can be revisited throughout the season. For the ranking, a combination of how good said player is league-wide and their importance to the Bruins’ success will be used, with more preference for the former.
Notes: Jeremy Swayman’s inclusion on this list is under the assumption he will re-sign with the Bruins. Depth players (ie. Parker Wotherspoon, Riley Tufte, Patrick Brown, and Brandon Bussi) are not included.
20. Mark Kastelic, RW
Speaking of snarl and toughness, Mark Kastelic has a strong chance of becoming a Bruins fan favorite. Hard-nosed, physical, and not afraid to drop the gloves in defense of a teammate, Kastelic keeps the Bruins hard to play against and fits in perfectly given the team’s history.
19. Max Jones, LW
In a free agent class that included Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, Max Jones will of course be overlooked but can serve a purpose on the fourth line. After spending six seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, the 6-foot-3, 216-pound Jones will bring some snarl and toughness to Boston’s forward depth and can potentially score 15-20 points in the process.
18. Justin Brazeau, RW
Justin Brazeau won the hearts of Bruins fans late in the regular season, scoring five goals in only 19 games and another one in nine playoff games. Another large individual, he stands at 6-foot-5 and plays a good game in front of the net, redirecting shots on goal yet possesses skating above average for a player his height that can create looks off the rush.
17. Mason Lohrei, D
Mason Lohrei was another standout rookie who made a case to make the roster even though he only played in half the season. A tall, skilled defenseman, Lohrei showed extreme confidence to make efforts to make plays offensively, frequently joining in on the rush and taking shots, averaging 8.8 shot attempts per game, just slightly behind Charlie McAvoy. Lohrei did struggle a bit in his own zone, hence the lower ranking, but as he progresses and becomes more familiar with his playstyle that should improve. There is a lot to be excited about for Lohrei.
16. John Beecher, C
Another one of Boston’s young forwards looking to continue on a solid season, John Beecher will be the cornerstone center on the fourth line for the Bruins in 2024-25. In 2023-24, the led the Bruins’ forwards in blocks/GP and was second in hits/GP. In addition, he finished with an impressive 54.6 faceoff percentage, second on the team. He played in the sixth-most shorthanded minutes for Boston forwards and posted a 7-3-10 stat line in 52 games played.
15. Andrew Peeke, D
Andrew Peeke has a lot of similar qualities to Brandon Carlo, just to a lesser extent. Traded to the Bruins from Columbus at the 2024 Trade Deadline, Peeke played limited minutes in the regular season but had a great playoff run as a third-pairing defenseman. In over 75 minutes at 5v5 in six playoff games, Peeke was on the ice for only one goal against, the lowest among Boston defenders. A pure low-pair, defensive defenseman and excels at it.
14. Joonas Korpisalo, G
When the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark in the early summer, Joonas Korpisalo came back the other way to keep the goaltending depth chart the same in addition to sending some adequate salary cap in order to make the deal go through. He has had a rollercoaster career, often having good years that were followed by poorer years. Last season with the Senators, he struggled in the limelight, finishing the campaign with a .890 save percentage (SV%) and 3.27 goals-against average (GAA). However, the year prior, he split the season with the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets where he combined for a .914 SV% and 2.87 GAA. Under the Bruins system that seems to bring out the best in netminders, expect a bounceback year for the Finnish goalie.
Related: Joonas Korpisalo Being the Bruins’ Starting Goalie Is Not a Bad Thing
13. Morgan Geekie, C/RW
Not much was initially expected from Morgan Geekie when he signed his two-year deal with the B’s in the 2023 Free Agency period, but he surprised many by scoring 17 goals and 39 points – both the highest in his career – in addition to 137 hits and 50 blocked shots. Geekie, like Matthew Poitras, can play good hockey at center or the right-wing spot, so expect both those players to switch roles throughout the season. On a cheap, contract-ending season, Geekie will look to capitalize and earn himself a payday this coming offseason.
12. Matthew Poitras, C/RW
Poitras’ rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but in the short 33-game sample size, he not only showed he belonged in the big leagues, but could make a name for himself on this Bruins roster. He possesses solid skating, a good shot, excellent passing and a surprisingly good hockey IQ for a player who has yet to celebrate his 21st birthday. Over the offseason, Poitras has gained significant body weight that should only elevate his game and in a full season either on the wing or down the middle – will look to impress Bruins fans and management alike.
11. Trent Frederic, LW
Boston’s first-round pick back in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Trent Frederic finally had his breakout season in 2023-24, scoring a career-high 40 points and nearly doubled his career-high in hits with 204. The St. Louis native has learned well from Brad Marchand with a pest style that has evolved to a scoring pest style, something that gave Boston tremendous depth on the third line. Expect more of the same from Frederic in 2024-25 as he enters a contract year where he can potentially hit the UFA market.
10. Nikita Zadorov, D
Joining the Bruins with his former Vancouver Canucks teammate Elias Lindholm this past summer, Nikita Zadorov adds even more size, strength and tenacity to an already tough-to-play-against Boston blue line. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing nearly 250 pounds, Zadorov’s 177 hits in 2023-24 would have ranked second on the B’s behind only Frederic’s 204 hits. Solid analytically as well, Zadorov will hopefully be beloved by Bruins fans this season.
9. Pavel Zacha, C/LW
Don Sweeney acquiring Pavel Zacha in a one-for-one deal that sent Erik Haula to the New Jersey Devils in the summer of 2022 will likely go down as one of his best trades as general manager of the Bruins. In back-to-back seasons in the black and gold, the Czech native has posted 57 and 59 points respectively while being able to play both the center and wing position. The success of him and Charlie Coyle last season was a huge reason why Boston was able to come close to winning the Atlantic Division and winning their opening-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
8. Charlie Coyle, C
Entering his sixth season as a Bruin, Coyle has become Mr. Reliable for Boston, playing in all 82 games for three consecutive seasons and most recently having a career-best season where he scored 25 goals and 60 points splitting time on the first and second line. Coyle is responsible up and down the lineup, can play with seemingly anyone and provides a versatility that makes him very valuable on a Bruins team looking for depth anywhere they can get it.
7. Brandon Carlo, D
Brandon Carlo embodies a big, defensively sound defenseman that goes relatively unnoticed by most fans around the league and even by the Bruins themselves. Carlo, an eight-year Bruin veteran, ranks very high on many defensive analytics at 5v5 for defensemen who have played over 3,000 minutes since 2021-22. Carlo is second in goals against/60 (GA/60) (1.87), eighth in goals for percentage (GF%) (58.61%), top-ten in high-danger chances against per 60 and top-20 in expected goals against/60 (xGA/60). He won’t put up many points, but he is the definition of a defensive defenseman.
6. Elias Lindholm, C
The arrival of Lindholm back on July 1 was something the Bruins brass wanted for a long time. Since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired, the Bruins have needed a reliable first-line center with a responsible 200-foot game and Lindholm fills that need. The 29-year-old Swede had a strong tenure with the Calgary Flames, hitting a peak of 42 goals and 82 points in the 2021-22 regular season, but failed to meet some of the expectations placed on him during his 26-game stint with the Vancouver Canucks following a mid-season trade. Boston is expecting more of Calgary Lindholm and with David Pastrnak on his wing, that should be attainable.
5. Hampus Lindholm, D
Since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2021-22 season, Hampus Lindholm has been an excellent defenseman to strengthen the lineup behind McAvoy while also producing offensively. Lindholm has scored 13 goals along with 66 assists for 79 points in 153 games in the two full seasons headlined by the best season of his career in 2022-23, scoring just shy of 50 points. Along with the offensive production, Lindholm has been fantastic defensively, often not far off McAvoy. Having the 6-foot-4 Swedish blueliner allows the Bruins to split him and McAvoy on different pairs or stack the duo in critical late-game situations. As a pair, the two of them have averaged the ninth-fewest goals against per 60 over the last two seasons combined. Hampus helps make Boston scary defensively. The below graphic courtesy of JFresh Hockey showcases the dominate defensive analytics he has shown over his time in Boston.
4. Brad Marchand, LW
The captain of the Bruins is still top-five on the team. While his prime years are behind him, he is still a low-tier first-line winger who is coming off back-to-back 67-point seasons. Of course, he still plays on the edge, agitating the opposition like the league knows Marchand for, but has become more conscious of his importance and role on the team as the suspensions and fines have slowed down. Marchand was still prolific offensively in 2023-24, finishing fourth on the team in GF/60 averaging 2.85 goals for.
3. Jeremy Swayman, G
Boston sports fans have been beyond spoiled in between the pipes for the better part of the last decade and a half, going from Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask to Linus Ullmark and now the present and future – Jeremy Swayman. Swayman, 25, has already proven himself to be within the top-ten goaltenders in the NHL, displaying tremendous poise and a calmness that seems nearly unmatched. Swayman has had a save percentage (SV%) of .914% or higher in each of his three seasons where he’s played more than ten games. In 2022-23, the Alaskan native set a career-high SV% of .920, GAA of 2.27 and goals saved above expected (xGSA) of 24. His only concern right now is his minimal workload (career-high of 44 games played), but after a dominant playoff run, the sky is the limit.
2. Charlie McAvoy, D
On many teams around the league, Charlie McAvoy is so good that he could very well be their best player. A first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, he is largely considered to be a top-ten defenseman and is the cornerstone of one of the best defensive cores. He is one of the smartest defenders on his back foot, is not afraid to throw the body around both physically and intelligently and has the skill to put up 50-plus points from the blue line. For defensemen over the last three seasons (min. 3,500 minutes time-on-ice/TOI 5v5), McAvoy has the second-best GF% at 60.42%, eighth-lowest xGA/60 at 2.30 and tenth-lowest GA/60 at 2.06. Undoubtedly a top defenseman and the second-best Bruin.
1. David Pastrnak, RW
Pastrnak is the best player on the Bruins and very few individuals will disagree with that. A one-time Rocket Richard winner, three-time All-Star, a Hart runner-up and a former 60-goal scorer, Pastrnak runs Boston’s offense and is a bonafide top-ten player in the NHL. In 2023-24, Pastrnak had a remarkable 43 more points than the second-highest scorer on the team which led him to getting 41 Hart votes, finishing in 8th place. His goal-scoring ability is near the top of the league and few players have his IQ, especially in the offensive zone, while making slight improvements defensively as his career progresses. Expect another monster campaign for Pastrnak.
A Strong Roster With High Expectations
From top to bottom, the 2024-25 Bruins have superstar power, high-scoring ability, lockdown defense, and elite goaltending up and down the lineup. There is a legitimate conversation for this team to be near the top of the final league standings come April and just maybe at the end of June.
