Now that the 2010 – 2011 hockey season is underway we might finally be able to stop talking about the worst collapse in NHL history (I promise that will be the last time that I mention it). A new NHL season is upon us and the Bruins have finally given their fans a reason to look forward to a new season. Tyler Seguin. By adding Seguin the Bruins added a dynamic playmaker that also has scoring ability and will allow the Bruins to have 4 great centers to build the franchise around. That being said lets get into a full preview of our Boston Bruins.

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Centers

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Marc Savard, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin, Greg Campbell

The future of the Bruins at center is definitely bright considering that 3 of their best are 25 or younger. The biggest question here is the health of Marc Savard. The dynamic center is suffering the effects of post concussion syndrome and is currently out indefinitely. When he does return that will probably move Tyler Seguin to a wing but until he returns the Bruins will use Seguin as both a center and a winger which definitely fits his skill set well. Bergeron and Krejci will look to continue their strong play centering the top two lines until Savard returns. The pair will also provide firepower on the Power Play. Greg Campbell provides grit and strength and will be a great candidate to center the checking line with Danny Paille and Shawn Thornton.

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Wingers

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Jordan Caron, Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Danny Paille, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Marco Sturm, Shawn Thornton, Blake Wheeler, Trent Whitfield

The Bruins are strong at wing as well, with a good mixture of shooting ability and gritty play. The biggest names here are Horton, Lucic, Recchi, Ryder, and Wheeler. After being acquired from Florida for Dennis Wideman (trying to fight back the urge to mention the 09-10 playoffs here) Nathan Horton hopefully will be the next coming of Cam Neely as his skill set matches the Bruins VP very well. Ryder will need to bounce back from a lackluster 09-10 and will hopefully get back to being the sniper he once was. Lucic will also be hoping to recover from an injury plaqued season and get back to his hard nosed grinder ways. Recchi is looking to lead the youth of Boston and has taken Tyler Seguin under his wing which is great for the future of the Bruins. Blake Wheeler will continue to improve and hopefully become the power forward that his size and skill calls for him to become. Jordan Caron is the youngest member of this group and I believe will challenge Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. This guy is the real deal with a great shot, great hands and the ability to make an immediate impact. Marco Strum is months away from returning from a major knee injury and will hopefully provide a scoring punch at the end of the season.

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Defense

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Johnny Boychuk, Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference, Matt Hunwick, Dennis Seidenberg, Mark Stuart

The defense is led once again by captain Zdeno Chara who will be looking to get back to scoring more on the power play. His line-mate Johnny Boychuk has finally hit the big time in Boston and has a new contract to prove it, he provides a rocket shot that nearly rivals Chara which makes the two a nightmare for any goalie who gets in the way. Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Hunwick are on the rebound from injuries last year and will provide energy for the defensive unit and hopefully improve upon the Bruins’ struggles moving the puck out of the defensive zone.

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Goaltending

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Tuukka Rask, Tim Thomas

Tuukka is truly one of the best goaltenders in the league and could be one of the candidates for the Vezina trophy at the end of the season. Tuukka provides consistent play that a team can truly rally around. I think one of the best moves the Bruins made this off season was to retain the services of Tim Thomas. If anything were to happen to Tuukka, Thomas can more than fill the void, and the two combined are my pick for the Jennings trophy.

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Alright now that we have discussed the Bruins lets move on to my projections for the season and the playoffs (*Denotes Playoff Teams):

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Eastern Conference:

• * Capitals 108
• * Bruins 102
• * Penguins 100
• * Devils 104
• * Sabres 96
• * Senators 94
• * Flyers 90
• * Lightning 90
• Hurricanes 88
• Canadians 84
• Rangers 83
• Maple Leafs 80
• Islanders 80
• Thrashers 74
• Panthers 68

Western Conference:

• * Canucks 110
• * Red Wings 100
• * Sharks 98
• * Kings 94
• * Blackhawks 93
• * Coyotes 88
• * Blues 86
• * Avalanche 82
• * Stars 80
• * Ducks 78
• * Flames 78
• * Oilers 76
• * Predators 74
• * Wild 70
• * Blue Jackets 64

Eastern Conference Playoffs:

• Capitals Def. Lightning 4-0 ~ Bruins Def. Flyers 4-2 ~ Penguins Def. Senators ~ Sabres Def. Devils
• Sabres Def. Capitals 4-3 ~ Bruins Def. Penguins 4-3
• Bruins Def. Sabres 4-3

Western Conference Playoffs:

• Canucks Def. Avalanche 4-0 ~ Red Wings Def. Blues 4-3 ~ Coyotes Def. Sharks 4-1 ~ Blackhawks Def. Kings 4-2
• Canucks Def. Coyotes 4-1 ~ Red Wings Def. Blackhawks 4-3
• Canucks Def. Red Wings 4-2

Stanley Cup Finals:

• Bruins defeat Canucks 4-3 to bring the Stanley Cup home to Boston for the first time in 39 years.

Just a couple of end of season award predicitons:

• Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) Alexander Ovechkin Washington
• Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie): Ryan Miller Buffalo
• Calder Memorial (Best Rookie): Tyler Seguin Boston
• Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman): Drew Doughty LA
• Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP in the Playoffs): Patrice Bergeron Boston

Well that’s it. Here’s to a great hockey season. I will be writing more posts as the season progresses.

Oh and one more thing…

LET’S GO BRUINS!!!!!

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