Felger & Mazz: Who on the Bruins has the most pressure on them this season?

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October 11th, 2023 4:06 PM

The Boston Bruins kick off their Centennial season on Wednesday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. Following an upsetting first round loss in last year’s playoffs, Felger and Mazz ask the question….who on the Boston Bruins has the most pressure on them in the 2023-24 season?

Who has the most pressure on them in 2023-24?

Felger: Who has the most pressure on them heading into this year? To me, it’s Jim Montgomery. And I just say that because you know that’s where they start down there. If something goes wrong, they fire the coach. It’s their default. Blame the coach, fire the coach.

And there was some goofy stuff Montgomery did in that series. Now, I liked it. I didn’t mind the line combinations and all this, but he really fussed with those lines in that series. So he did some really unconventional and basically unprecedented things. Things he hadn’t done all season long with those lines and they blew the series. And I think it was dicey that he made it through the offseason, given the way they handle their coaches down there.

So I think management looks at him and thinks he blew the series. Ownership might look at him and think he blew the series. I mean, that’s usually what they do down there. The GM’s in lockstep with the owner and they blame the coach. So they blame the coach for the playoff loss last year. And if they get off to a bad start, that’s going to be the first thing to go is going to be Jim Montgomery.

Again, I didn’t mind the line changing at all. I think I might blame more for the goalie stuff that he should have gone to Swayman earlier or he didn’t handle the goalie thing well. But then again, I’ll chalk that up to when you have two number one goalies, that’s what you’re sort of destined to run into. You can’t navigate that because no team is meant to have two number ones.

It’s stupid and I’m against it and I wish they traded one of those goalies. But either way, I think it starts with Montgomery. They get off to a bad start and he could be fired by Thanksgiving. Honestly, I think that’s on the table.

Feb 28, 2023; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Mazz: So I tried to focus on players and to me there were two that stick out, one over the other….I’m still down on Charlie McAvoy from the way that thing ended last year. I’m sorry. I just think that if the defense is going to be the strength of the team, and I understand they’re short at center, so you could say Zacha, you could say Coyle, like there are a lot of places to look. Marchand and Pastrnak, who’s my second guy.

But honestly, if it’s going to be a defense first team, I think McAvoy’s got to go to another level. Like they need him now to go to another level. And it’s not just about the defense, it’s about the offense, really.

Felger: I agree 100% on the whole thing. McAvoy would be my top player. Marchand is the captain, but it’s McAvoy’s team.

Mazz: That’s how I feel. Like, okay, when’s this Norris Trophy candidate going to really pop? Last year, he was 15th in the league in scoring among defensemen. Now, Erik Karlsson was first, but that team was horrible. He was a -28. All the other guys were plus. So, you know, it’s not a pure measure, just the offensive output. But Mike, if they’re going to have trouble up the middle at center, McAvoy’s got to go to the next level now. It’s time. It’s been time. So to me, McAvoy’s a big one.

Kevin Maggiore has been producing on the Felger & Mazz program since January of 2022 and has been producing with 98.5 The Sports Hub since 2018. Kevin also produces New England Patriots broadcasts on The Sports Hub and has produced Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins broadcasts in the past. Kevin grew up in Saugus, Massachusetts and is still in the area today. A lifelong hockey fan, Kevin collects hockey jerseys and has over 100 jerseys in his collection. Kevin loves spending his time away from the office on the golf course. Kevin writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

Meet the Bruins' 2023 Opening Night roster

It’s been an offseason of change for the Bruins.

An era-shifting change, to be honest.

After almost two decades of being the Black and Gold’s one-two punch down the middle, both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci opted for retirement. Bergeron’s retirement also led to the appointment of Brad Marchand as the B’s new team captain, while their departures have also signaled a slight shift in Boston’s team identity, with the 2023-24 season looking like it’ll be the year of defense and goaltending for the cap-squeezed Bruins.

The Bruins are also embracing the idea of a ‘youth movement’ more than they ever half in the last half decade or so, with both Matt Poitras and Johnny Beecher making this year’s roster out of training camp, and with defenseman Mason Lohrei not too far behind despite his late-camp demotion down to the minors.

But even with these changes, the Bruins still expect their competitive fire to remain. Especially with the team celebrating its centennial season and with more than a few players from last year’s points-record-setting club still in town.

“I mean, we feel pressure from our fan base virtually every day to try to improve our club. That doesn’t change from season to season, the expectation is that we deliver a team that can at least makes the playoffs,” Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said. “And how’s the old saying go? It’s not necessarily the best team that wins the Stanley Cup, but it’s the team that’s playing the best hockey that wins the Stanley Cup, and that was certainly true last year.

“We’re the Boston Bruins, we’re an original six team, we’re celebrating our 100th anniversary. I think everyone here understands the gravity of the opportunity, and the gravity of what we have in front of us for this upcoming season.”

As for how the Bruins will accomplish that in 2023-24, one thing to expect is for the team to be more physical.

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has repeated that line again and again since the start of training camp. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Bruins will fight more, but that they will be a harder team to play against between the circles and in front of the net at the offensive end of the rink, and that they’ll try to shut down more plays from those areas at the defensive end of the rink.

The need to be a stronger and more physical team in those areas of the game turned out to be Montgomery’s biggest takeaway from the 2023 playoff letdown, he said.

And here’s how the Bruins will begin that quest…
Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk

Oct 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) celebrates his goal with left wing Brad Marchand (63) against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. (Dennis Schneidler/USA TODAY Sports)
This was Montgomery’s projected top line — this might be a me thing, but I think of whatever line has Brad Marchand on it as the top line, though the Zacha-Pastrnak duo will certainly challenge that theory in 2023-24 — when he spoke with Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald back in the summer, and it appears that this will be the line that gets things started for the Bruins out of the gate.

We got a brief glimpse of this grouping during the 2023 playoffs when the Bruins played with Bergeron, as the Marchand-Coyle-DeBrusk trio logged almost 18 minutes of five-on-five action. Over that sample, the Bruins were outshot 14-11, but broke even in goals (1-1).

The preseason didn’t provide much insight when it came to their potential or chemistry, but this is the Bruins by all means looking at Coyle as the closest thing they have to a Bergeron replacement. Now, Coyle himself will be the first one to tell you that he’s not Bergeron and doesn’t expect to be Bergeron, but he’s a big-bodied center who had a strong year at the faceoff dot in 2023-24 and is supremely responsible in his own end.

The good news for Coyle: Marchand has never been afraid of doing the heavy lifting (and had a strong finish to his year after a delayed start due to double-hip surgery in 2022), and DeBrusk is coming off a career-high in goals and points last season.
James van Riemsdyk – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Apr 17, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates with Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
Bruins winger David Pastrnak may just be the biggest X-factor this team has. And, listen, I hear you from Brighton. “Oh, gee, Ty, the guy who had 60 goals is going to be an X-factor? Sick take, idiot.”

But for two years now, we’ve seen Pastrnak elevate his linemates to fantastic results. In 2021-22, he helped Erik Haula look more like the Vegas Erik Haula than the journeyman Haula, and helped bring out of the Boston best of Taylor Hall. And last year, Pastrnak helped Krejci’s return to the best league in the world look seamless, and helped ‘former Jersey draft bust’ Pavel Zacha have the best year of his career… and by a staggering 21 points.

Of course, those players had a huge hand in their own success, too. But Pastrnak has proven that as a superstar in this league, he can play with anybody and by all means drag his line to success.

The Bruins are going to need more of that from Pastrnak (and Zacha) in 2023-24, and it appears that free-agent add James van Riemsdyk will be the first to get a twirl with the Czech duo.

The veteran ‘JVR’ is coming off what was by all means the worst year of his NHL career, but the analytics told the story of a player who was getting strong looks but simply not converting. The Bruins’ hope is that playing with a talent like Pastrnak and logging big minutes on Boston’s top power play will help correct those numbers.

(Perhaps of note: This line did score a goal in their first shift of the preseason together.)
Trent Frederic – Matt Poitras – Morgan Geekie

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Matthew Poitras #51 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 05, 2023 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
One of the biggest questions facing the Bruins as they embark on this next chapter: Can and will Matt Poitras stick with the club? Currently with the club on a nine-game trial, the 19-year-old center is looking to become the first Bruins to stick in an NHL-or-juniors situation since Tyler Seguin in 2010 and Milan Lucic in 2007.

Internally, Poitras has his believers, especially after he proved capable of withstanding the physical battles and intimidation factor that comes with NHLer-heavy lineups. But this is now the real deal for Poitras. Expect to see the Bruins move him all around the lineup as they’re viewing this as an extension of his preseason. The Bruins do not plan on trying Poitras on the wing, though, as they view him as a center exclusively.
Milan Lucic – Johnny Beecher – Jakub Lauko

Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center John Beecher (19) waits for play to begin against the New York Rangers during the third period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
I’m not gonna lie, I’m actually pretty excited to see how this line shakes out this season.

A 2019 first-round pick, Johnny Beecher is set to make his NHL jump after one full season in Providence, and with the Bruins looking for more speed and a lefty faceoff option in their bottom six. But pairing him with Jakub Lauko gives the Bruins a seriously up-tempo fourth-line combo, and that’s going to be absolutely necessary with the slower, space-clearing style of Milan Lucic. Beecher and Lauko also have experience playing together in Providence, and their results in a relatively limited sample size in the preseason were promising.

“I thought that was a real effective line,” Montgomery said after the fifth game of the preseason. “I gave ’em some O-zone starts, but mostly D-zone starts. And, you know, I don’t know the stats. I didn’t look, but I thought Beecher did well on the dot and won some big draws for us. So the speed and the combination of speed and will was pretty evident. They did a lot of good things out there.”
13th forward: Patrick Brown

Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown (38) faces off against New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

Waived by the club this past weekend, Patrick Brown is back with the Bruins as the team’s 13th forward to begin the 2023-24 season. A versatile bottom-six option who can play both wing and center, the 31-year-old Brown is coming off a 2022-23 season that included four goals and 12 points in 61 games between the Flyers and Senators. Brown finished last year with a solid 52.5 percent mark at the dot, and was even better in 2021-22, with a 58.5 percent mark in 44 games with the Flyers. Over that span, Brown won 230 of his 441 faceoffs in the defensive zone (52.2 percent), which is the sixth-most in the NHL among centers with less than 500 total defensive-zone faceoffs over that span.
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Dec 9, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
If you can take comfort in one thing, it’s that the Bruins know what they’re getting from this pairing.

One of 36 NHL pairings to log at least 1,200 five-on-five minutes over the last three seasons, the Grzelcyk-McAvoy tandem ranks second in corsi-for percentage (58.11), first in shots-for percentage (61.5%, with the B’s holding a 846-530 edge in on-ice shots), and first in goals-for percentage (72.9, at 86-32).

This pairing also prevents the Bruins from having to go with a ‘load up’ approach on defense that puts Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy on the ice at the same time.
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo

Jan 26, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) and defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) talk against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)
Another staple on the Boston backend, the Bruins will hope for more of the same from their second pairing.

Boston’s most-deployed combo last year, the Lindholm-Carlo pairing had a plus-51 edge in on-ice shots, plus-16 scoring differential, and plus-68 advantage in scoring chances. And they began less than 40 percent of their shifts in the attacking zone, too.

Lindholm is coming off what was an undeniable Norris-caliber season, with career-highs in assists (43), points (53), and plus-minus (plus-49).
Derek Forbort – Kevin Shattenkirk

TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 6: Derek Forbort #28 of the Boston Bruins skates with the puck from a checking William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
This one here is a bit of an unknown.

By now, we know how the Bruins are going to utilize the 6-foot-4 Derek Forbort. He’s going to be asked to blocked shots and log heavy defensive-zone minutes. Any goals or points you get out of him is by all means a bonus. (And the bonuses were flying last year with a career-five goals from Forbort.)

But the veteran Kevin Shattenkirk is more offensive than defensive, making him a noticeably different talent than Connor Clifton, who was Forbort’s most common pairing partner in 2022-23 and for a third pairing that was all defensive-zone all the time for Jim Montgomery and the Bruins.

So, what changes with this duo now patrolling the bottom of the defensive depth chart?

“I think there might be a little more mixing and matching in zone starts because you know, Shattenkirk gives us a real good offensive element, like if we win an O-zone faceoff,” Montgomery told me. “But outside of that, there’s not going to be much difference. We’re going to expect Shattenkirk, even though he’s more offensive minded, to defend like every other defenseman and we’re going to expect Forbort to be as offensive minded as every other defenseman that we have in the situations that it calls for. So not much changes there.

“It’s just how quickly they become comfortable playing together and reading off each other. That’s going to be the true eye test for us as coaches and for them developing through the year.”
7th defenseman: Ian Mitchell

Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Ian Mitchell (14) skates against New York Rangers during the third period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)

In what was a crowded seventh defenseman battle for the club, Blackhawk-turned-Bruin Ian Mitchell beat out countless Bruins hopefuls for the gig, including 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zboril.

It was a strong preseason effort from the right-shooting Mitchell, too, as he was constantly ‘shot ready’ and looked to constantly push pace the other way. That’s exactly what the Bruins have asked out of their defensemen under Montgomery (and even under Bruce Cassidy before him), and at a league-minimum salary of $775,000, Mitchell made all the sense in the world for the B’s.

Mitchell, a second-round pick in 2017, is coming off a 2022-23 campaign that included a career-high seven assists and eight points, along with a career-high 15:50 of time on ice, in 35 games for Chicago.

Overall, the 5-foot-11 Mitchell has skated in 82 games for the Blackhawks since 2021, with four goals and 16 points, along with a minus-21 rating and 83 blocks, and 15:04 per night.
Linus Ullmark

Oct 3, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) makes a glove save during overtime against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

The reigning Vezina winner and ‘Triple Crown’ goalie category winner, the biggest question is can Linus Ullmark do it all again? Now, expecting him to match Tim Thomas’ single-season save percentage record is probably wishful thinking, but can he continue to be a No. 1 goaltender over the course of an 82-game grind? For what it’s worth, Ullmark’s regular seasons have given you absolutely nothing to worry about. He may have started slow back in Oct. 2021, but from November 2021 on, he was great, and last year was next-level good.

My prediction: The Bruins will be extremely, extremely happy they didn’t sucker themselves into trading Ullmark for pennies on the dollar to keep a Tyler Bertuzzi or Dmitry Orlov.
Jeremy Swayman

Oct 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

The Bruins and Jeremy Swayman couldn’t find common ground on a long-term deal this past summer, so it was off to arbitration, where Swayman was awarded a one-year contract.

It’s a bit of a gamble for the B’s, of course, but it’s one that Sweeney and the Bruins seem more than willing to make because of the win-win nature that it can come with should Swayman take that next step.

“It puts Jeremy right back in a really good situation, as we expect him to be a top-flight goaltender and challenge,” Sweeney said. “The way Jeremy is wired, he feels he’s as good if not better, and wants to be the go-to guy. Those are good problems to try and sort through and having motivated players that have confidence as well as talent is a good, good thing for us as an organization, and especially in such a key position.”

Led by a strong second-half surge, Swayman finished the 2022-23 season with a 24-6-4 record and .920 save percentage. His 24 wins were the 15th-most in hockey, while his .920 ranked fourth among qualifying goaltenders. Swayman’s 11.63 goals saved above average at five-on-five also ranked 13th in the NHL (per NaturalStatTrick), while his .870 high-danger save percentage was tied for the fifth-best figure among the group of 40 goalies with at least 1,500 five-on-five minutes played.