All That Has Transpired: The Boston Bruins

We’re going to take a look at each NHL team, breaking down every new addition and subtraction, as well as promising prospects. Today, we take a look at the Boston Bruins. By: Nick Richter (@PensNation_Nick) 2013 Season: 28-14-6, 62 pts (2nd Northeast Division, 4th Eastern Conference) Additions: RW Jarome Iginla D Mike Moore RW Bobby Robins RW Nick Johnson G Chad Johnson LW Matt Fraser D Joe Morrow F Loui Eriksson F Reilly Smith Subtractions: F Christian Hanson RW Jamie Tardif RW Jaromir Jagr G Michael Hutchinson D Andrew Ference RW Nathan Horton G Anton Khudobin D Aaron Johnson D Ryan Button F Tyler Seguin F Rich Peverley D Colby Cohen Biggest Trade: Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button sent to Dallas for Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Matt Fraser and Reilly Smith. Promising Prospects: D Dougie Hamilton D Torey Krug D Joe Morrow G Malcolm Subban F Carl Soderberg F Jordan Caron Photo Credit: AP Photo/Harry How, Pool After barely escaping their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins stormed through the rest of the Eastern Conference, winning eight of their next nine games against the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. However, just as the Bruins were about to force the Chicago Blackhawks to a Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Finals, the clock struck midnight on their magical post-season run and their season ended with a 17-second, two-goal nightmare. Not the fairytale ending for which they had hoped. General Manager Peter Chiarelli didn’t wait long until he decided to shape his team for the 2013-14 season. Chiarelli traded away budding star, Tyler Seguin in a seven-player blockbuster deal to the Dallas Stars and also included Rich Peverley and Ryan Button. In exchange, the Bruins would receive Loui Ericksson, Joe Morrow, Matt Fraser and Reilly Smith from the Stars. Chiarelli also had a daunting task of re-signing Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron in the offseason after heroic post-season showings. Rask was able to secure an eight-year extension worth $56 million after a successful first “full” season as the Bruins starting goaltender. Bergeron also signed a multi-year deal to stay in Boston worth $52 million over eight years. However, the Bruins lost a bunch of key pieces of their Stanley Cup Finals roster – especially on the right wing. Nathan Horton signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets for seven years, $37.1 million and Jaromir Jagr signed with the New Jersey Devils. Defenseman Andrew Ference left to sign a four-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers to the tune of $3.25 million per year (CapGeek). The Bruins will likely be leaning on Rask in net more this season after losing trusty backup goalie Anton Khudobin to the Carolina Hurricanes. Chad Johnson and Niklas Svedberg will likely battle for the backup position during training camp. The Potentially Good: After losing Horton, Seguin, Jagr and Peverley from the top-nine, the Bruins seemingly haven’t taken a giant step back. Iginla and Eriksson should help soften the blow offensively – especially on the power play. Boston’s man-advantage was dismal last season, ranking 26th in the NHL. The B’s still have really good offensive talent up front with Bergeron, David Krecji, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic all in the top-nine. The Potentially Bad: The defense will be interesting to watch for the Bruins. Zdeno Chara still an elite defenseman in the league, but he didn’t quite look like his dominate self during the regular season or the post season. Losing Andrew Ference opens up a roster spot for young guys Dougie Hamilton and/or Torey Krug. Have the Wounds Healed? Bergeron played with a punctured lung and busted up ribs in the Stanley Cup Finals and Gregory Campbell broke his leg in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but both are expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Biggest Questions -Will Hamilton and Krug help solidify an aging blue line? -Will Rask continue to develop into an elite goaltender after signing for big money? -How fun is it going to be to watch the Bruins play against the Detroit Redwings multiple times each year?