2017-18 record: 50-20-12 (112 points)
Lost to Tampa Bay in Conference semi-finals
Captain: Zdeno Chara
What was supposed to be another season of transition for the Boston Bruins became an accelerated rebuild, as their youth became major contributors from the word go. They finished just behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, and as their playoff run showed, they still have some things to shore up before they can get back to Lord Stanley.
One of the pleasant surprises has been where the offense has come from, as Brad Marchand, super pest, has become a regular 30-goal scorer. David Pastrnak has also emerged as one of the offensive leaders on the team, and he's not even close to his prime. They are still relatively top heavy when it comes to scoring, something that was exposed when last year's rental Rick Nash didn't pan out as expected. Improvements in that regard are expected to come from within, as they're counting on a healthier Patrice Bergeron and a declining David Krejci to rebound, as well as continued maturation from Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen and possibly Ryan Donato making the roster. Defensively, the torch may be passed down soon, as Zdeno Chara could fold any minute. Fortunately, there is depth, as Charlie MacAvoy has become a solid defender and only figures to get better, health permitting. Similarly, Brandon Carlo is banking on health becoming less of an issue as he figures to at least fill the defensive part of the Zdeno Chara talent pool. Depth got better thanks to signing John Moore to fill in as a third pairing defender who can step into the second pair if needed. For all that's been good, the goaltending has been somewhat ordinary, as Tuukka Rask hasn't been as dynamic as he was a few years ago. Part of the problem has been overuse, something the Bruins hope they fixed when they signed Jaroslav Halak to be the backup.
Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay still has a loaded roster and Toronto got better down the middle thanks to signing John Tavares, which makes Boston's hopes for a division title look small. However, they should be comfortable in knowing that they are a playoff team that could surprise people despite not adding much to the roster.
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