Can Bruins Win 2025 Stanley Cup? : Arguments in Support or Opposition to Title Run

Swayman will soon find himself under new and unique pressure; for the first time ever in his career he stands alone as Boston’s no.1 goalie. Linus Ullmark was traded away to Ottawa Senators earlier this month, leaving Swayman as Boston’s sole goaltender of depth — alongside recently acquired Joonas Korpisalo – behind. Swayman had never started more than 43 regular season games before this season began; how will he handle his increased workload this time around? Well, Swayman is just 25 and started 11 consecutive playoff games without issue last season – an indication of his ability. Additionally, his status among the league’s elite goalies makes him extremely valuable to Boston Bruins fans. Goaltenders possess the power to turn around an entire playoff series in one or two victories, and Swayman proved this during last year’s first round against Toronto Maple Leafs with just two goals allowed or less in each start, including an overtime 30 save win in Game 7. When healthy, this makes Boston Bruins dangerous opponents during playoff series and draws attention away from weak scoring depth and power play issues that held them back last season. They finished 13th out of 30 teams last season in goals scored which is still in the upper half. Boston’s offense faltered during the playoffs, especially against Florida Panthers in round two, scoring only two or fewer goals in each of five subsequent games of that series. Furthermore, during free agency negotiations in June and July they lost key players such as Danton Heinen, James van Riemsdyk, and Jake DeBrusk from their ranks. These three players collectively scored 47 goals last season – no small feat! Elias Lindholm will undoubtedly enhance their offense (more below), yet there is a notable lack of high-end offensive talent on their roster. Can the Bruins generate more 5-on-5 offense? That remains to be seen. Natural Stat Trick reported this team as ranking 28th for shot attempts, 23rd in shots on net and 24th for scoring chances during 5-on-5 play last season. Furthermore, their power play requires improvements. The Bruins ranked 29th out of 32 teams with an 16.1% power-play percentage over their last 33 regular-season games, which placed them 29th out of 32 total teams. In Round 2, against the Panthers, Boston Bruins’ power play performance was woeful and only managed one goal out of 16 opportunities. Brad Marchand needs to produce like one of the great left wings worldwide but had three surgeries over the off-season period which has hindered him significantly. Last season he finished second on the Bruins for both goals and assists, ranking behind only David Pastrnak who led them with 18 goals, 25 assists, 43 points scored last year and 43 total assists. If his season begins slowly he may need someone else to step up as leader on offense; that could include Pastrnak who led Boston in goals by 18 and in assists by 25 while leading them overall with 43 total points scored last season. “Obviously you must reach the playoffs first; however, I think we are built a little stronger for it than other teams are. “Against them: Navigating East Conference can be very tough while Atlantic Division offers stiff competition within league. There’s a good chance the Bruins must overcome at least two of Panthers, Leafs and Lightning to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, which would pit them against Rangers, Hurricanes or Devils should they make it that far. Just getting past Panthers would prove challenging enough! Although their history against Boston in playoff games isn’t great, the Leafs remain formidable opponents. Last season’s Maple Leafs nearly won their opening-round series against the Rangers after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit with Auston Matthews and William Nylander both missing multiple games; it certainly wouldn’t have been easy getting to the Stanley Cup Final, though! Postseason play can be daunting no matter your opponent, and reaching the Cup Final from Atlantic Division may prove even tougher. Elias Lindholm impacts so many areas positivelyElias Lindholm is one of the premier faceoff centers in the NHL and should help the Bruins in postseason faceoffs. Lindholm allows numerous Bruins players to assume positions more suitable to them allowing success throughout. His addition is immense for Boston. Charlie Coyle may now play second-line center instead of first, Pavel Zacha can shift over from center to wing where he enjoyed success during 2022-23, and Lindholm can contribute greatly on power plays. He excels in the bumper position, where he can fire quick shots or make precise passes to teammates open on the ice. “Our power play slowed in the second half,” noted head coach Jim Montgomery in a press conference held Sept 18th 2018. “With all of our additions, Elias Lindholm stands out as being another trigger man wherever he ends up playing – possibly as the number two spot, but who knows?” But his addition adds another intelligent hockey player that creates many plays on a consistent basis. Your power play should result in increased faceoff wins, improved zone play and entrances and greater consistency overall. “This 28-year veteran ranks among the league’s finest faceoff centers.” Last season, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci led them to finish 21st in faceoff win percentage among NHL clubs compared to No. 2 the year prior. Lindholm will help the Bruins quickly regain their rankings; last season he won 56.4 percent of all faceoffs overall and 61.7 percent on power plays! He led all NHLers with 61.9 success rate on defensive-zone faceoffs alone! Lindholm will most likely take an important draw late in a game and score goals himself; he’s not simply a playmaker at center. Lindholm should score 25-35 goals if playing full season with Zacha and Pastrnak on his first line, according to projections by Pro Hockey Focus. Lindholm is also considered an elite defensive player worthy of winning Selke Trophy consideration; Patrice Bergeron won more votes and claimed this distinction this past season. Lindholm has drawn many comparisons with Bergeron due to his two-way game; he is smart, reliable and possess excellent 200-foot skills. However, some questions still linger concerning Boston Bruins defense due to frequent goaltender saves during last season. This year is different as they no longer possess the luxury of playing a Vezina-caliber goaltender every night. Ullmark may no longer be in Boston and while Swayman should thrive under new coach Arnie Swayman is unproven as Korpisalo remains unknown. Boston finished 24th overall last season in shot attempts allowed, 18th for shots on net allowed, 25th in scoring chances granted and 27th in high-danger chances granted during 5-on-5 play according to Natural Stat Trick. That may have been below average defending, but it didn’t affect them too greatly: Ullmark and Swayman allowed only 80 goals (5-on-5 and 5-on-6 combined), posting the fifth-best 5-on-5 save percentage (.927). But in order to advance to deeper playoff runs this spring, Boston must improve defensively, particularly at protecting low slot, given they allowed 19 high-danger goals (all situations) last season in 13 playoff games alone.