Season Review: Boston Bruins

(Sorry we didn't get the Conference Final predictions in time; Dave had his opening night at the Stout Saturday night and we partied it up. That said, we're just going to say Chicago and Philadelphia in six.)

Well, now that we're in the conference finals of the playoffs, we will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the last team to be eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semifinals: The Boston Bruins.

Season expectations: This squad looked like a Cup contender last season when they were upset by the Carolina Hurricanes. Things didn't fare much better in the off-season, when Phil Kessel and the team couldn't come to terms, leaving him to be dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second overall pick in the 2010 draft. Nevertheless, the team was still exciting and pretty dynamic at all positions, featuring captain Zdeno Chara patrolling the blueline with Dennis Wideman; a savvy group of forwards that feature David Krejeci, Marc Savard, Patrice Bergeron, and Milan Lucic; and the Vezina-trophy winning Tim Thomas with blue-chip prospect Tuukka Rask. Things figured to be strong for Boston and there wouldn't have been much to stop them... save injuries.

My prediction: I figured the Bruins would be first in the Northeast Division and first overall in the Eastern Conference.

The truth: They managed to be third in the division and sixth overall in the conference. They made it to the conference semifinals, where they lost hold of a 3-0 series lead to lose the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games.

What went right?: Though the team lost a lot of scoring with Kessel going to the Leafs and with Marc Savard going down to injury, the team still managed to play an up-tempo, defensive style of hockey that had everyone scoring by committee. Bergeron, Krejeci, Chara, and Mark Recchi lead the team in scoring while six other players managed to break 30 points (Blake Wheeler almost broke 40.) Also worth noting was the move to sign Miro Satan midway through the season, where he went on to light it up during the opening round of the playoffs. When Thomas faltered, Rask was up to task, putting up a 22-12-5 record with a 1.97 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Toughness was not lacking, as Shawn Thornton did the job that Chara was too valuable to do (but when pushed, Chara didn't back away either.) All and all, the team played within their abilities and within coach Claude Jullien's system, which is what got them to the playoffs.

What went wrong?: Much like the Coyotes, when the Bruins lost a key component, their season was done. Once David Krejeci went down with injury, the Flyers found their game, their goaltender, and did what many said would have been impossible. One wonders how a completely healthy Savard would have changed things, though, because his earlier concussion problems were likely still a concern even when he got back into the game.

So what's next?: The team has $46.140M committed to salaries next season and will have to shore up their depth defenders, a scoring forward or two, and their role players (read: agitators and enforcers). While some faces may change, the group as a whole still has the ingredients to remain competitive going into next season.