Time flies when you refuse to accept that it’s real.

Luckily for us, the ageless Bruins are doing a damn good job of convincing that it is indeed not real.

In a pursuit of keeping their window open for ‘one more year’ for what feels like the fourth or fifth year in a row, the Bruins amassed a downright silly and league-best 65-20-6 record between two different coaches, and managed nine more regulation and overtime victories than the next-closest team, with 62 ROWs compared to 53 for the Maple Leafs. The Bruins have also averaged the eighth-most goals per game, and surrendered the fewest goals against per game. Their special teams remained highly effective, too, with the league’s 10th-best power play percentage, and the fourth-best penalty kill in all of hockey.

It’s eventful, to say the least. And when you’re that good, everybody plays their part.

But let’s try to figure out who would make up the ‘Top 10′ of the Bruins’ 2022 calendar year.

(Note: Stats cited here reflect totals after NHL slate ending Dec. 29. I’m not crunching numbers on New Year’s Eve. I’d like to think I’m a little less lonely than that. But of course, I could be wrong.)

10. Jeremy Swayman

Nov 29, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) in goal during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

Developing in the NHL will come with its highs and lows, especially as a goaltender. And Jeremy Swayman has experienced both since making the jump to the NHL during the pandemic-delayed 2021 season. But with a 2022 year that began and ended with the 24-year-old Swayman still on the NHL roster — and with waivers now on the table for the Alaskan-born netminder, it’s clear that he’s here to stay — Swayman certainly did his part this year.

The 1B to Linus Ullmark’s 1A status, Swayman’s calendar year included 23 wins and a .909 save percentage in 40 games played. His 23 wins are the 20th-most in the NHL in 2022, while his .909 was tied for 20th among goalies with at least 30 games played. Those are some strong numbers for the younger goalie in a platoon role.

The highlights of the calendar year for Swayman came with a sizzling February that featured a 5-1-1 record and .960 save percentage on the way to NHL Rookie of the Month honors, as well as a postseason that saw Swayman start the B’s final five games of their first-round series with Carolina and force a Game 7 after taking over in goal in an 0-2 series hole.

Swayman appears to be ending his 2022 on a high note, too, with a 2-0-1 record and stops on all but six of the last 92 shots he’s faced, which is good for a .935 save percentage over that stretch.

9. Charlie Coyle

Nov 14, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) reacts after scoring a goal during the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden. (Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports)

If availability is indeed the best ability, Bruins center Charlie Coyle had himself a year.

The only B’s skater to appear in every single one of Boston’s 91 games during the 2022 calendar year (it bumps up to 98 if you include Coyle’s perfect attendance in the team’s first-round playoff series with the Hurricanes), Coyle put up 18 goals and 49 points in 2022. And the 6-foot-3 center’s finish to the year has been a fascinating one, really, as the Bruins have morphed Coyle into one of their best two-way threats.

One of three Boston forwards to log at least 60 minutes of shorthanded time on ice this year (Patrice Bergeron and Tomas Nosek are the others) and 78 forwards in the league to log that much time on the kill, Coyle ranks first among that group of 78 in on-ice shots against per 60 (41.39), sixth in expected goals against per 60 (6.65), and 11th in high-danger chances against per 60 (52.06), while his 6.27 shorthanded takeaways per 60 ranks as the third-best figure among that group of 78.

At the faceoff dot, the Weymouth, Mass. native has emerged as one of the league’s best out of the gate this season, with a 56 percent success rate at the dot, which currently ranks as the 18th-best mark in the NHL (minimum 400 faceoffs).

Coyle is currently paced for what would be a B’s career-high 45-point season.

8. Taylor Hall

Dec 7, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) celebrates his goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. (Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports)

There’s a good chance that Taylor Hall flew under your radar this year.

A former Hart Trophy winner and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, it’s entirely too easy (read as: lazy) to look at Hall and ask why there’s not more there. It’s not his fault. His status just leads to those kinds of gripes no matter what.

But in 2022, Hall thrived all over the ice for the Bruins, with 28 goals and 74 points in 90 games. Those 28 goals ranked fifth among all B’s skaters, while his 74 points ranked third on the team. Hall also excelled as an even-strength dynamo for the Bruins, with 59 of those 74 points coming at even-strength play, which ranked second only to Pastrnak. Move it beyond Boston and Hall’s 59 even-strength points currently rank as the 29th-most among all NHLers in 2022.

The 31-year-old Hall has also embraced life in a third-line role for the 2022-23 Bruins, and has given the Bruins an all-world scoring threat on their top three lines, with Hall playing a perfect complement to Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic.

Honestly, you could tell me that Hall belongs in the top five of this list, and I wouldn’t even fight you on it. This is where it became an absolute miserable sorting experience.

7. Charlie McAvoy

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 18: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins wears a ceremonial patch during the second period in honor of former Boston Bruins player Willie O’Ree as he has his No. 22 jersey retired prior to the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on January 18, 2022. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

The 2022 year was the year everybody started to officially realize that Charlie McAvoy is indeed a franchise defenseman.

In a year headlined by McAvoy’s best voting finish in the Norris Trophy voting (he finished four in the 2022 voting after finishing fifth the previous year), McAvoy’s 2022 year included eight goals and 59 points in 75 games played. Those 59 points were tops among all Boston defensemen, and ranked 14th among all NHL defensemen. McAvoy was also one of just 11 defensemen to record at least 50 assists during the calendar year, and his plus-38 for 2022 was sixth-best.

Analytically, McAvoy continues to find himself in truly elite company.

One of 142 defensemen to play at least 1,000 minutes of five-on-five play in 2022, McAvoy ranks first in shots-for percentage (60.34 percent), first in expected goals-for percentage (61.46 percent), first scoring chances-for percentage (58.95 percent), and first in high-danger chances for-percentage (61.51 percent). He’s also third in goals-for percentage (64.17 percent), and fifth in corsi-for percentage (57.23 percent).

He’s likely even higher on this year if not for a shoulder injury that required surgery and delayed his 2022-23 season.

6. Brad Marchand

Nov 12, 2022; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports)

I’m gonna admit to you right now, Brad Marchand is getting boned by what I call The McDavid Scale. That (stupid) name was created by me after I realized that I couldn’t rank Connor McDavid any higher than fifth on my Hart Trophy ballot last year because I was simply used to his all-world excellence. That’s not fair to him, I know, but it was a real thing I wrestled with internally throughout the voting process. Like I said, Marchand, who has been everything and more to the Bruins for over a decade now and has the numbers to back it up, is getting boned by that same scale right now.

On the sheet for 76 games in 2022, Marchand’s 81 points ranked second among all Boston skaters for the calendar year, and was tied with the Devils’ Jack Hughes for the 44th-most among all NHLers. Marchand also remained a downright lethal power-play threat, with 34 power-play points in 2022, which is tied for 21st-most in the NHL, and tied with fellow Nova Scotian-born superstar talents Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.

Like McAvoy, Marchand’s ‘low’ ranking on this list likely comes with the double-hip surgery that delayed his 2022-23 start, and has left the 34-year-old dealing with issues when it comes to getting his five-on-five game back at 100 percent.

But if Marchand put up four goal and 11 points in seven playoff games in 2022 with a torn hip, just imagine what his 2023 is going to look like when he’s fully recovered and has his timing back at 100 percent. *eyeball emoji intensifies.*

5. Jake DeBrusk

Oct 17, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) reacts after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)

2022 for Jake DeBrusk was more like Jake DeBack. (Don’t worry, guys, I’ve already pre-fired myself.)

On the heels of a 2021 that ended with DeBrusk’s trade request going public following a healthy scratch, the 2022 year saw DeBrusk come back to life, sign an extension with the Bruins, rescind that trade request that lingered over the sides for almost a full calendar year, and ultimately re-emerge as a legitimate high-end weapon for this team.

In action for 86 games in 2022, the Edmonton-born DeBrusk put up 34 goals and 61 points for the Bruins.

His 34 goals were second only to David Pastrnak in 2022, and were tied for the 41st-most in the NHL in 2022. DeBrusk also chipped in with 23 goals at five-on-five play, and his 1.29 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play ranked as the 17th-best among a group of 362 skaters with at least 900 minutes of five-on-five play during the calendar year. And only 11 players have scored more game-winning goals in 2022 than DeBrusk (eight). Oh, and DeBrusk also had what you’d consider a successful postseason effort, with two goals and four points in the team’s seven-game series with the Hurricanes.

This has clearly been more than a hot finish for DeBrusk, too, as he’s kicked the 2022-23 season off with 14 goals and 27 points through 34 games, which has him paced for what would be a career-high 33 goals and 54 points.

4: Hampus Lindholm

Mar 24, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) gets ready for a face off during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

Don Sweeney hit an absolute bomb when it came to his 2022 trade deadline for Hampus Lindholm.

Acquired from the Ducks in exchange for 2017 first-round pick Urho Vaakanainen, a 2022 first-round pick, a pair of second-round picks, and defenseman John Moore, the Bruins immediately signed the 28-year-old Lindholm to an extension that’s wasted absolutely no time in looking like a bargain for the Bruins.

Since jumping to Boston, the 6-foot-4 Lindholm has posted a league-best plus-38 rating, added 28 assists (18th-most among defensemen), 32 points (26th-most among defensemen), 22 even-strength points (18th-most among defensemen), and his 0.71 points per game is the 16th-best among NHL defensemen with at least 30 games played.

And among a group of 118 defensemen with at least 700 minutes of five-on-five action, Lindholm ranks first in both goals-for percentage (69.12 percent, at 47-21) and expected goals-for percentage (60.18 percent, at 42.89-28.38). He’s also 11th in primary assists per 60 (0.62), 20th in points per 60 (1.23), fourth in shots-for percentage (57.55 percent), and ninth in scoring chance-for percentage (57.18 percent).

Lindholm has been the left-shot defenseman that the Bruins have desperately needed to either pair with McAvoy or stack beneath McAvoy to give the Bruins a beast on two separate pairings.

The Bruins are also a ridiculous 36-6-3 with Lindholm in their lineup since acquiring him from Anaheim.

3. Patrice Bergeron

Nov 7, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) directs his teammates prior to a face-off during the first period against the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

Already a legendary figure in today’s game, Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is somehow getting better with age. To the point where even analytics people are legitimately frazzled with how he continues to do this.

In a 2022 that featured a history-making Selke Trophy victory, the 37-year-old Bergeron once again thrived, this time to the tune of 29 goals and 71 points in 83 games. And with a plus-40 rating, Bergeron not only led the Bruins in that stat, but is one of eight NHLers to post a plus-40 rating for the calendar year of 2022, joining a group featuring Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling, Cale Makar, Michael Bunting, Devon Toews, Elias Lindholm, and Jared Spurgeon.

Bergeron was also the league’s top faceoff man for 2022, as he was the only skater to win at least 1,000 faceoffs in 2022 (Bergeron has 1,126 wins at the dot in 2022, and Sidney Crosby is the next closest, with 988 wins). Bergeron also led the league with a 61.4 faceoff percentage in 2022, and his league-leading 553 faceoff wins in the offensive zone were a staggering 79 more victories than the next-closest center (Crosby).

Beyond the raw data, Bergeron and his teammates dominated the puck with No. 37 on the ice, with Bergeron credited with the league’s best corsi-for percentage (64.03 percent), shots-for percentage (64.95 percent), goals-for percentage (68.83 percent), expected goals-for percentage (68.73 percent), scoring chance-for percentage (67.96 percent), and high-danger scoring chance-for percentage (70.08). I mean, this was just next level domination from Bergeron.

Like a fine wine, baby.

2. Linus Ullmark

Nov 21, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) looks on against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Amalie Arena. (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)

Remember when everybody was in a race to pee and poop the bed over the Bruins signing Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million contract amid concerns over Tuukka Rask’s hip and two rookies in net? What an embarrassing time for so many, especially those who talk about sports for a living. Anyway.

In goal for 53 games in 2022, the 6-foot-5 Ullmark put together a year that featured a 39-6-3 record with a .925 save percentage and 2.18 goals against average. His 39 victories put him in a three-way tie with 2022 Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin and the Stars’ Jake Oettinger for the most in hockey, and only Shesterkin (.928) and the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (.926) posted better save percentages than Ullmark. Ullmark did capture a solo win of sorts, as his 2.18 goals against average was 0.01 better than Shesterkin’s 2022 figure for the Blueshirts.

Ullmark’s 2022 also saw him save 29.92 goals above average at all-situation play, which ranked as the fourth-most in hockey during the year. His .847 save percentage on high-danger shots, meanwhile, was fifth-best among goalies with at least 2,500 minutes played in the calendar year.

Now in his second year with the Bruins, Ullmark is fully engaged on what could be a Triple Crown run of sorts, as he currently leads the NHL in wins (20), save percentage (.938), and goals against average (1.90).

1. David Pastrnak

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 01: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at TD Garden on December 01, 2019. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

J.P. Barry has absolutely found his top negotiating chip for his talks with Bruins general manager Don Sweeney because Barry’s client and 2023 unrestricted free agent, David Pastrnak, is the No. 1 player on this list.

And this was really about as easy as it could have been, to be honest.

Boston’s top scoring threat, Pastrnak’s 2022 year featured a straight-up absurd 56 goals and 104 points in 81 games played.

Both his goal and point totals were obvious tops among all Black and Gold skaters, and Pastrnak had a hilarious 22-goal lead and 23-point lead over the next-closest Bruins). Leaguewide, the Czech sniper’s 56 goals are tied with the Oilers’ Connor McDavid for the second-most in the NHL in 2022, trailing only Auston Matthews and his 57 goals for the Maple Leafs. Pastrnak’s 101 points, meanwhile, are the 13th-most among all skaters during the calendar year.

Pastrnak also became just the sixth Bruins player since 1982 to record at least 100 points in a calendar year, and the first since Brad Marchand totaled 118 points during the 2019 calendar year. In addition to Pastrnak and Marchand, that list of players to accomplish that feat for the Bruins also includes Adam Oates, Ray Bourque, Barry Pederson, and Rick Middleton. Oates has the most in a calendar year over that span, by the way, with 132 points during the 1993 calendar year.

The Bruins absolutely cannot afford to let 2023 be the last year Pastrnak could be featured on a year-end list for the team.