Boston Bruins Third Line Prediction

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY

With the 2015-16 season getting closer, NHL teams are preparing to look at what they have in terms of players and roster-bubble players to form their best possible lines to start the season. The Boston Bruins are going to look far different from the team they deployed last season, and have a few options for pairings. The first line should be Patrice Bergeron at center flanked by Brad Marchand and Jimmy Hayes at the wing positions. The second line, or line 1B, should be David Krejci at center with line-mates Matt Beleskey and Brett Connolly. The third line falls into place with two of the youngest Bruins forwards Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak, with 2-way forward Loui Eriksson flanking the left-wing. Eriksson has shown he is more than capable of back-checking and bailing out a play, while also having no issue with joining the rush and scoring goals.

Loui Eriksson posted 22 goals and 25 assists for a total of 47 points last season. Eriksson was able to play 81 of the 82 game season, which was a large increase from the 61 games he played the previous season. Eriksson is one of the most underrated players on the Bruins and was able to prove that last year, having put up his 5th 20 goal+ season of his career. Eriksson could, and probably will get the opportunity to play somewhere in the top-6 next season with Boston, but the switch from right wing to left wing is the only logical decision for the Bruins this season with Jimmy Hayes, Brett Connolly, and David Pastrnak all being right-handed. Eriksson will be counted on to bail out the young duo of Pastrnak and Spooner, who will most likely be deployed strategically to take advantage of other teams bottom-six rather than their top-six.

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Ryan Spooner finally broke out with the Bruins last season, posting 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points in only 34 games. Spooner played so well to finish the season that when David Krejci returned, Claude Julien had no choice but to put David Krejci on the wing of the Patrice Bergeron line, leaving Ryan Spooner at center. Spooner is a top offensive prospect and the Bruins will be smart to utilize his strengths carefully, while not exposing his defensive weaknesses. Spooner signed a very team-friendly deal for two years with an AAV of $950 thousand. Spooner is in a situation where he has little room to move-up, and has to earn every shift he plays at the NHL level, which will hopefully be a motivating factor for him to prove his worth to Don Sweeney, as well as other NHL General Managers.

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David Pastrnak was the biggest surprise coming out of the 2014 draft. Peter Chiarelli and co. went into the draft with the intention of taking David Pastrnak, and their reasoning was his 2-way game. David Pastrnak was impressive in his defensive awareness, although his offensive ability is what caught the attention of Boston Bruins fans and NHL fans alike. Pastrnak at 18 years of age scored two goals in two consecutive games, and eventually finished the season with 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 46 games. Those points came along with the 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 25 games with Providence that Pastrnak posted last season as well. Pastrnak has the ability to eventually become a top-6 player for the Bruins on a consistent basis, but his chemistry with Ryan Spooner, coupled with his small size and inexperience makes him the perfect candidate for an offensive third-line role this season with the Boston Bruins.

The line combinations in Boston can go any-which-way, and any prediction can easily be debunked. With that being said, who do YOU think should be on the first line?

Checkout the first line prediction here if you haven’t already seen it, and for the second line prediction, click here!

Next up: Fourth line