The Boston Bruins lead the Atlantic Division standings after 32 games of the 2023–24 season, four points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Surprisingly, given the roster change throughout the winter and the retirements of centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, they are ranked so highly.
A few players’ performances and general play have surprised me, particularly the ones who were added last summer. Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, in particular, have excelled in the pit. Even though the Bruins are 19-7-6, there have been some underwhelming performances this season. If they hope to succeed in the coming year, these guys will need to step up.
Lindholm Hampus
In the previous season, Hampus Lindholm replaced Charlie McAvoy as the starting defenseman for the Black and Gold. He was exceptional in every circumstance; in 80 games, he finished with 10 goals and a career-high 43 assists. Additionally, he concluded with an incredible plus/minus of plus-49. A player that went unnoticed outside of Boston was him.
This season hasn’t gone well for the former blue liner for the Anaheim Ducks. Despite participating in all 32 games, his only goal and six assists come from statistics. His play in all three zones combined with some of his decision-making and puck handling have been the areas of concern. Though he’s hardly the only one, Boston wants more from him.
The Black and Gold need more from him, especially offensively, even though he is on track to record a career-high in penalty minutes. After the three-day holiday break, the Bruins need his production, which he demonstrated last season.
Matt Grzelcyk
Similar to McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk missed the first few games of the 2022–2023 season while recovering from an off-season operation, and he has been plagued by injuries once more this season. He has missed twelve games, including the last two away to the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. Like Lindholm, he has struggled when in the starting lineup.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound left-hander has battled with what has been a strength of his throughout his career—being a solid puck-moving defenseman—after playing at Boston University. He has one goal to his credit and has never been considered a big offensive person. If Boston’s defense has struggled this season, it has mostly been moving the puck out of the defensive zone and stopping their breakouts. Grzelcyk has struggled when he has been in the lineup, but none of this is his fault. It is unclear what his future in his hometown city would entail as he is in a contract season, but after 20 games, this season has been among his least successful ones to date.
Shattenkirk, Kevin
Kevin Shattenkirk was brought in as Connor Clifton’s replacement after he signed a one-year, $1 million bargain free agent contract with the Buffalo Sabres. He spent the final three seasons with the Ducks, although he had three successful seasons in Anaheim despite playing for a team that was rebuilding. He’s had a difficult season in Boston as the bottom pairing player.
He finished with two goals, eight points, and a minus three in 26 games. He has 12 goals and 50 assists in his last two seasons with the Ducks, including 23 last season. Although he has been erratic at times, Jim Montgomery, the Bruins’ second-year head coach, needs more from the veteran player given how poorly the team’s forwards are performing. This season, he has struggled at times with his defensive play and has been scratched on a few occasions. In McAvoy’s absence, he did perform admirably on the first power play unit, but he still needs to improve in all three zones.
Distinguished Remarks
Another player who very easily could have made this list is Jake DeBrusk; unfortunately, my colleague Brendan Share-Cohen recently discussed his difficulties during a contract season. Brad Marchand may have produced more recently, but Charlie Coyle has recently failed to produce and occasionally to the face-off dot. While they haven’t fared poorly this season, Boston and Montgomery could have benefited from their increased output during the Bruins’ recent troubles.
As the league approaches the halfway point in a few weeks, Boston appears poised for another postseason appearance this year despite their December woes, but there are undoubtedly certain Black and Gold players who are not performing up to par and need to improve.