Is this the Start of a New Annual Championship Contender or barely a Playoff Team?

So we are 5 games in, and with the World Cup taking place this fall, it was impossible to get a read on the roster before the opening set of games. Now that we are 5 games in, I think it is an ideal time to go over the Bruin's Roster, line by line and make some predictions based on past experiences. So who is on the Bruins roster for this season, and what type of year should we expect from this lineup?

Build From the Net Out

In the modern NHL era, the goaltender has become as important as a Quarterback in the NFL. In the NHL playoffs, the goaltender's play is often the deciding factor in winning or losing. In fact the last Bruins Stanley Cup victory came by a magical run in net by Timothy Thomas back in 2010-11, who posted a ridiculous .940 save percentage, and a 1.98 GAA. His backup that year was Tuuka Rask, the current starting Bruins Goaltender. Tuuka, started out really strong but in the past year or so, due to off ice behavioral issues that seemingly no sports journalists want to cover, he has been sucking it up as one of the highest paid goalies in the league. Behavior issues such as being unable to play a must win final game of the season to make the playoffs, because Tuuka was out drinking and partying too much the night before. That is how the last season ended, and so far in this season Tuuka is already injured and missing games. His numbers when he has played aren't good either. The backup Anton Khudobin, is a solid backup NHL goalie, however he is also injured to start the year. So now the first round draft pick Malcolm Subban, the younger brother of superstar defense man P.K. Subban, will get another shot at starting in the NHL.

The Bruins need Malcolm Subban to step up and claim the backup role bare minimum. Last year Martin Jones, a rookie goaltender lead the San Jose Sharks to the finals. If Malcolm Subban can step up and become a starting NHL goaltender by the end of this season that could alleviate a massive problem the Bruins have in net. The Bruins should look to move Tuuka Rask and his 7 million annual contract; as he is highly overpaid, Rask is the 3rd highest paid goalie in the NHL, and he should be like 11-12th based on his production and talent, Rask in my opinion greatly benefited from playing in front of Zdeno Chara for years in a very defensive Coach Julien system. Tuuka time in Boston should officially be over soon, or he needs to make a complete 180 in his play. Paying 7 million per season in a league with a very real and tight salary cap is ludicrous. Bruins should look to move Rask if Subban shows he can play at the NHL level this season.

Tuuka Rask 2015-2016 Season:
GAA: 2.56 (Rank #38)
Save Percentage: .915 (Rank #40)

So obviously these are not the types of numbers you would expect from the third highest paid goaltender in the NHL. In fact those numbers are garbage. If Rask puts up similar numbers this season the Bruins may have a losing record at the end of the year.

A Defensive Team with No Defense man

Don't get me wrong big guy, Zdeno Chara is still a force to be reckoned with, as the tallest and one of the best defensive defense man to ever play the game. Chara in his prime, a few years ago, was a ferocious defender who took away half of the defensive zone with his presence and his enormous range with that huge stick. He was the perfect player to employ Claude Julien's trap defensive system, because how much ice area he took up. However, Chara is old, 39 years old to be exact and will be 40 by the start of the playoffs, that is really old for the NHL, and asking him to play 28 minutes a game is not feasible if you want him to remain healthy. The Bruins desperately need a top level defense man to give him a breather. So the Bruins big off season signing on Defense was...

Torey Krug, the guy who looks like Peeta Mellark from Hunger Games. Peeta, I mean Krug got a big pay raise to 5.25 million per season to stay in Boston. Krug is mainly an offensive defense man. He is undersized by NHL defense man standards, and often gets shoved around. During the Montreal Canadians recent demolishing of the Bruins, Krug was constantly losing puck battles in the defensive zone. Krug is a liability defensively, and is basically from what I can tell a Power Play specialist and second line at best defense man. Of course the Bruins are paying him top 2 defense man money, because they have a habit of overpaying their own guys. So Krug is not any help to relieve time on the ice for Chara, and he has to be paired with a strong defensive defense man because he is a liability. Furthermore Krug's offensive production has stayed the same every year since he broke onto the scene, about 40 something points. This year he is off to a very slow start:

Torey Krug Stats:
13-14, GP: 79, G: 14, A: 26, P:40, +/- +18
14-15, GP: 78, G: 12, A: 27, P:39, +/- +13
15-16, GP: 81, G:4, A:40, P:44, +/- +9
16-17, GP: 5, G: 0, A: 0, P:0, +/- -3

The Rest of the Bruins D, lead by Darth Quaider

The other 4 Bruins defense man, well 5, are all 3rd line players. Adam Mcquaid, I guess you could argue is the best of this lot currently, nicknamed "Darth Quaider" by now ex teammate Andrew Ference, Mcquaid is a very good defensive defense man, who can be relied on at times to give Chara a small break. However, because the Bruins defense is so tragic, Mcquaid who at best is a second, more like a 3rd d pair talent player, is going to have to play on top line with Chara at times. However, the biggest problem with Mcquaid is he can't stay healthy, and this year he is already on the injured list and has not played any games. In his place has been Brandon Carlo, a rookie defenseman who has trouble staying on his skates, but shows a lot of upside and talent. He also got his first NHL goal already this season:

Along with Brandon Carlo, a rookie defense man, is also another rookie Rob O'Gara, who has played fairly well in limited time so far this season. O'Gara and Carlo both look like defense man that can be relied on to provide a bare minimum talent level of third pair NHL defense man, possibly 2nd pair by the end of the season. However due to the Bruins crap roster, Carlo is starting on first line with Chara, and O'Gara is playing on the second pairing. The other players in the mix are veteran John Michael Liles, underachieving prospect Joe Morrow, and Kevan Miller. All three of these defenseman are third line pair players at best. If the Bruins were a Stanley Cup Contender, likely none of these players would make the roster. However due to their crappy roster, all three are heavily used currently.

Defensive Unit Conclusion

With this defensive unit, they could have one of the worst groups of D men in the league. If 39 year old Chara gets hurt for any significant amount of time, they will have the worst 6 d in the league. The Bruins need a major addition to this group to even make it look reasonable. If the St. Louis Blues are willing to move D Shattenkirk, before the deadline, if I was the Bruins GM, I would make an offer for him. The Bruins need some veteran talent to help bring along the younger d men in their system. In a year or two yes maybe Carlo and O'Gara are top defense man on this team, but to ask two rookies to play such huge roles on a defensive minded team is not going to end up being a good game plan by the end of the season. This D grouping is definitely not championship caliber, and honestly it looks like it is not even playoff caliber. If the Bruins miss the playoffs again this year, it will be because their defense sucks, and their goal tending isn't good enough to save them.

The Bright Spot, the Bruins Forwards

The Bergeron Line

Patrice Bergeron, is one of the best all around forwards to ever play the game. He has long been my favorite player, and his efficiency in both ends of the ice is unmatched in my opinion. I would not trade Bergeron for ANY forward in the league, I think he is that good. Brad Marchand and Bergeron seem to have great chemistry together, and Marchand has recently emerged as a top line goal scorer, a player you can count on for roughly 30+ goals per season. On the other wing is David Pastrnak, who has shown a lot of promise of being a top line winger and so far in the 2016-17 season has been playing as a top line winger and putting up good production. So the top line the Bergeron line is solid, and could match up with any of the top lines in the NHL. So far this season they have been productive together, with David Backes filling in for Bergeron, and even more productive when Bergeron started.

The Krecji - Backes Line

The signing of David Backes was a solid move for the Bruins, he is the exact type of player they needed as a winger for the second line, or to take over at center if David Krecji gets hurt or traded. Backes brings top level offensive performance with league leading hitting ability and solid defensive play. Backes brings the grit the Bruins forwards needed to add. However, his line mate David Krecji needs a kick in his ass. Honestly If I were the Bruins I would trade David Krecji (ideally for D Shattenkirk), however Krecji is a big time playoff player, and a solid number two or number 1 center at times. Krecji just lacks consistency and so far this season he has been terrible. Maybe Krecji is getting his legs back under him after hip surgery or maybe he just lost a step and won't ever get it back. Spooner the winger on this line was under performing as he is a center, so he was just dropped back to third line today. Danton Heinen, who is a prospect player, a rookie is now the other winger for second line. Heinen is supposedly a scorer, and a reliable two way player who's ceiling is supposed to be third line, he has been injured a few games this year, and counting on a rookie for production on second line almost always goes badly. This second unit needs Krecji to get rolling because Backes is the only one carrying his weight and then some right now. If this continues all year long, the Bruins will be in serious trouble.

Third and Fourth Lines are Decent

Third line and fourth line on most NHL teams is not super important. Unless you are Coach Claude Julien with your fribble crew. Julien is often criticized for overplaying his fourth and third lines, which are typically grinder players. This years Bruins third line currently of Beleskey, Spooner, Hayes should be a very solid, third line. However so far this year that hasn't been the case, and Jimmy Hayes continues to disappoint in almost every aspect of the game. The fourth line of Tim Schaller, Dominic Moore, and Noel Acciari is basic fourth line garbage. Moore is a decent but elder statesman who's best years are behind him, Acciari is a great hustle player but doesn't have NHL talent in my opinion, and the same for Schaller, lots of effort but the talent just isn't there. Riley Nash, though not dressed for tonight's matchup, is better than Acciari or Schaller, and will likely be replacing one of them. Typical fourth line for the NHL, and because Moore and Nash in my opinion are above average fourth liners, the fourth line is one of the better NHL fourth lines.

Forwards in Conclusion

The Bruins have one really solid line, one very questionable second line, and decent third and fourth lines. The Bruins could win a lot of games by scoring a lot of goals, and they will need to. Unfortunately because of the Julien system, the Bruins might struggle to get the production they will need to make up for the lack of talent in the net and in the defense. Though adding Backes was a great start, the Bruins still need another solid winger, and they need David Krecji to play to his talent level for the first time in about two years. I do like the Bruins offense this season, but they will not be enough unfortunately to make up for the weaknesses in the other areas.

My Prediction for this year's Bruins based on the Current NHL Roster

A team that is built the opposite of how it should be. The Bruins are built from the forwards backwards, instead of from the Net out. The goal tending situation sucks, the defensive unit could be a nightmare, and the forwards lines are okay but no where close to the Pittsburgh Penguins top three lines. So how will a team that is built to employ a defensive system perform with a bad d unit and bad goal tending? Not good, and I highly doubt the Bruins offense will score enough to make up for it.

I cannot predict what players will come up through the system and make huge impacts this season, so this analysis is based solely on the players on the NHL roster, that we just went through. Based on those groups, and the potential disaster on the blue line looming if Chara goes down for any time, I don't think the Bruins are a playoff team. I think the Bruins will beat bad teams, and lose to the good ones, and barely miss or barely make the playoffs. Against top teams like Pittsburgh and Montreal, the Bruins will lose probably every game. If the Bruins do make the playoffs, they will lose in round 1. Unless the Bruins make some major roster changes between now and the end of the season, I see them ending up with about the same win loss record as last year, a year in which they missed the playoffs. So it's another wasted year for the Bruins fans, let's just hope some of those draft picks and prospects start showing up on the NHL roster sooner than later, because watching the young kids develop should be the theme of this season.

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