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Boston Bruins: Predicting The Forward Lines

By Andrew Thompson |
Feb 13, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

With yesterday’s announcement of Jimmy Vesey signing with the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins forward lines for next season are starting to take shape.

Boston Bruins fans took to social media expressing their disgust over losing the Massachusetts native to New York. The fans were certainly wondering how Cam Neely and Don Sweeney couldn’t close the deal on grabbing him.

The loss of Vesey (while regrettable), does actually make things a little clearer when it comes to projecting the forward lines next season for the Black and Gold.  Barring a big surprise (or serious injury), here’s a mostly intelligent prediciton of what the Boston Bruins forward lines will look like for the B’s 2016-17 season.

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Backes

Claude Julien made a few attempts to break up the magic of Marchand and Bergeron. Those changes were brief and they didn’t work out. So, it’s unlikely Coach Claude will mess with perfection. David Backes is a very versatile player and is listed as a right wing player on the Bruins website.   Backes would be a solid replacement for Loui Eriksson and bring both scoring ability and physicality to the B’s top line.

Matt Beleskey-David Krejci-David Pastrnak

Last year’s ‘Dahble Czech‘ line should also remain intact for next season. The biggest concern for this line will be the health of David Krejci. Krejci underwent hip surgery in the offseason, and is still considered questionable for the first few weeks. As long as Krejci is able to return to form by October/November, this should be another solid line for the Boston Bruins.

Frank Vatrano-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes

Ryan Spooner has earned his way on to the Boston Bruins. The same can be said of Frank Vatrano, they’ve both developed into the kind of players that Claude Julien (and the B’s front office) want. While Jimmy Hayes 29-point (13 goals) season was considered a ‘disappointment’, the Bruins have faith in the 6’5″ winger. If Hayes can find the physicality in his game, this will be a good line for the Bruins to have next season.

Seth Griffith-Riley Nash-Tyler Randell

This was the hardest line to calculate. The Boston Bruins organization have several young players that are clustered in a pack. Any of them could end up carving out a fourth-line job by opening night. All three of them are solid players who have shown they can get the job done. With so many centers on the squad, Seth Griffith (or Noel Acciari) will have to adjust to a wing position if they want a full-time job in the NHL.

Next: Boston Bruins: No Vesey, No Problem

When it comes to thirteenth forward, there are several players in the mix. Danton Heinen could end up with that job (or even make the fourth line). Noel Acciari got to play 19 games last season with the B’s, and could nudge out Seth Griffith for a job. Austin Czarnik might be able to transition AHL success into the NHL as well.

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