3 Reasons the Bruins Will Make 2024 Playoffs

Jeremy Swayman, who just signed a new one-year contract, is also a very talented goaltender and the presumed goalie for the future. He’s had a solid start to his NHL career, including an excellent 2022-23 season that was a bit overshadowed by Ullmark’s insane year. The 24-year-old started in 33 games and had a 24-6-4 record and had a goals against average of 2.27 and a .920 save percentage. 

With Ullmark and Swayman splitting time between the pipes, they will steal a couple of games for the team during the season. They’ll be able to keep scores low and make games competitive almost every night. Now, of course, goaltenders aren’t wizards and can’t completely determine how well a team will do. Thankfully, they still have a decent amount of support in front of them.

David Pastrnak

David Pastrnak has proven himself as one of the elite talents in the NHL. The 27-year-old is coming off his first 100-point season and is entering the first year of a new eight-year, $90 million contract. While he has spent considerable time playing with Bergeron and Brad Marchand, he has shown that he can play with other linemates and still produce great results. In the 2021-22 season, Pastrnak spent some time playing on a line with Erik Haula and Taylor Hall, scoring 40 goals that season. Last season, when he registered 113 points in 82 games, he spent significant time playing with Krejci and Pavel Zacha.

In 2023-24, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing on a line with Zacha, given their chemistry from last season. It may take a little bit to get into a groove without Krejci, but great scorers find ways to score, and Pastrnak is a great scorer. Hockey is a team sport, of course, but there are certain players who can make a big difference between a team making the playoffs and not. Pastrnak can and should be a big difference-maker. 

The Future Core Is Here

The Bruins were competitive for over a decade, thanks to a really solid core of Bergeron, Krejci, Marchand, Zdeno Chara, and Tuukka Rask. The time of that group has passed (though Marchand still has a few more solid years ahead), but the future of the Bruins is already on the roster and playing well. With Pastrnak and Zacha on offense, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm on defense, and Swayman in goal, there are some solid, talented starting blocks to build a roster around. 

In addition, Jake DeBrusk still has another year on his contract and will hopefully get an extension worked out. Mason Lohrei and Fabian Lysell are young prospects gunning for roster spots this season. Brandon Carlo is signed through four more seasons and has proven to be a solid stay-at-home defenseman.

The Bruins can and should make the playoffs again because they have really solid, competitive pieces to their roster. Do they still need to build around this new core group? Yes, but I don’t think the team is as weak as some people may think. Their struggles to draft centers is rearing its ugly head, but there is no reason they can’t still make the playoffs. They have Zacha and Charlie Coyle, and if necessary, I do think GM Don Sweeney could put together a decent trade package for a center at the trade deadline. Looking beyond this season, there are some young centers in Matthew Poitras and Dans Locmelis from the 2022 draft class who could be ready to make the leap in the next few years.

Bruins’ Road Will Be Tough

The Atlantic is a tough division, and teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have been building well and taking positive steps forward in recent seasons. They will be gunning for playoff spots in an already competitive pool that includes the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

But don’t be so quick to count the Bruins out before the season has even begun. I, like many, did not see the team doing as well as they did in 2022-23. Even with Bergeron, the team’s heart and soul, retired, this is still a roster with talented players and guys who will be given bigger roles and a chance to step up in 2023-24.