The Boston Bruins have had to make top-to-bottom changes during the offseason.
The Bruins start their 2015-16 season tonight, and a lot of eyes are on the newer, faster Bruins offense. The B’s are looking to improve on last season’s dismal scoring. The Black and gold ranked 22nd last season in offense, and they know they’ve got to put up more points this season.
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Claude Julien has had to make changes to the Bruins top line. The Bruins lost Milan Lucic, but got speedy and skilled winger Matt Beleskey. The Bruins bench boss have paired Beleskey with the B’s top center David Krejci, and 19-year old sensation David Pastrnak. (I’ve been calling them the ‘Double Czech’ line since the first time they were paired together.)
“We’ve been playing together for two weeks now and getting some chemistry,” Pastrnak said after yesterday’s Bruins practice. “We still have a lot of work to get better at. That’s what we’re focusing on every practice and trying to improve those things so in the game, we can be good.”
Pastrnak put up twenty-seven points in his rookie season, and the expectations are high for him to exceed that total this year. The Bruins are putting a lot of faith in the young Czech forward. While there is a lot of faith there, they’re not quite willing to bet the entire farm on him just yet. During yesterday’s practice, Pastrnak was not included in either of the team’s power-play units at practice.
Puck Prose
“We’re honest here,”said Bruins bench boss Claude Julien after yesterday’s practice. “He’s a 19-year-old kid, and he still has to grow as a player, get stronger and all of that stuff. There’s a lot of good things that we still like about him, but there’s still a lot of things that’s he’s got to improve on. And he knows that. We know that. Anybody that watches him closely knows that. But that improvement can only come with time. He’s a young player, you can’t expect him to be playing like a 26-year-old that’s been in the league for six years. That’s not realistic.”
How do I see Pastrnak doing this season? Unless there is an injury (or he finds the same rattlesnake that kept biting Reilly Smith), Pastrank should put up between 15-23 goals this season. His overall point total should be in the 50-60 range. He’ll remain a top-six forward for the Boston Bruins throughout the season
Pastrnak showed that he was willing to take hits from some of the strongest players in the league last season. He knows he still has to put on more size, and be capable of taking even more punishment as the season progresses. With all the expectations being put upon him, Pastrnak feels optimistic and better about his chances in his sophomore season.
“I already said it many times,” said Pastrnak. “It’s better for me than last year. I know everybody here. I have friends. I feel better on the ice. I feel better in the room. So yeah, it’s pretty exciting.”
Next: Big Expectations for the 2015-16 Boston Bruins