It is certainly no bold prediction to suggest that the Boston Bruins are the Eastern Conference favorites this year. And it certainly wouldn’t raise any eyebrows to place them among the select few contenders for a Stanley Cup title this season.
The playoffs have shown us in recent years though, that anything actually IS possible. The eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings lifted the cup for the first time in franchise history in 2012. All four of the top seeds were losers in the first round of the 2010 playoffs. In fact, you have to go back to 2004’s Tampa Bay Lightning as the last number one seed to represent the east in the Stanley Cup Final.
The 2013-14 Bruins are reloaded and look every bit the favorite to defend their Prince of Wales Trophy. They’ll face some stiff competition from the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top seed and poor form from the Bruins has allowed some divisional pressure from Tampa Bay and Montreal. With all of the key pieces still in place from the 2013 club, and some new faces added to the mix, the Bruins look capable of taking another run at Lord Stanley. Here are five reasons why the Bruins can win the Stanley Cup.
1. Tuukka Rask-The Boston goaltender was almost good enough to win it all last year in the Stanley Cup Final. He looks every bit as good this season but now has the playoff experience and probably a bit of a chip on his shoulder too. Rask is an emotional player and we have seen his public meltdowns. Another year of experience and maturity will make the Boston backstop tough to beat this postseason.
2. “Young” veterans-The Bruins’ roster currently has no more than three active skaters over the age of 30. That being said, the bulk of this same group won a Stanley Cup in 2011 and lost in a close series last summer. The faces that aren’t there have been replaced with Jarome Iginla (for Jaromir Jagr) and Loui Eriksson (for Tyler Seguin). Both players are hungry for their first Stanley Cup ring and will be key factors for the Bruins when the playoffs begin.
3. New faces- The Seguin/Eriksson deal hasn’t worked out so well for Eriksson, but it brought Reilly Smith to Boston. With Eriksson returning to the lineup to join the surprisingly productive Smith, Boston now has two key pieces to replace the young Dallas sniper. Iginla replaces Jagr and has meshed well with David Krejci on the second line. The young defense that was a key to the Bruins’ success in the playoff last year is now a year older and wiser. Replacing a key veteran like Dennis Seidenberg on the blue line won’t be as difficult with the experience from last season’s run.
4. Weak Eastern Conference-Let’s face it folks, the best teams in the NHL are in the Western Conference right now. Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup will go through at least two teams that are struggling to make the playoff picture at this moment. If the playoffs started today, the Bruins would match up against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that fired their coach already this season and sits only four games above .500. Unless there is a monumental upset in the Atlantic Division, you can pencil in Pittsburgh for the Eastern Conference Finals again. The Bruins have shown how well they match up against the Pens in the playoffs and like their chances against a finesse team like Pittsburgh.
5. One more move-General manager Peter Chiarelli is one of the better minds in hockey and knows that the loss of Seidenberg cannot be completely filled by his talented young defensive corps. There is a deal out there that Chiarelli wants, but there will be no cards shown until after the Olympic break. The Bruins will make a splash to bolster their roster. It may not be a blockbuster, but will fill a specific team need moving forward. A certain defenseman that left for “greener” Oil fields in Alberta last summer could make a triumphant return. Shhhhhhh.