Boston Bruins: 5 players to keep an eye on in 2021-22

The Boston Bruins are just one month away from the start of the regular season, so naturally, fans are feeling very excited. The Bruins have made a lot of changes to their roster, as they not only signed many free agents but also lost some notable players. After the way last season ended, it makes sense that they wanted to spice things up. This is especially the case when it comes to their bottom six.

At this point, we have a pretty strong understanding of what their roster will look like. The off-season is nearing its completion. Besides the shocking Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet and Christian Dvorak trade, not much else has been happening around the league.

As a result of this, it feels like the right time to discuss a few players from the Bruins who are worth paying close attention to this upcoming season. This piece will look at five specific ones who each have a lot to prove. Instead of focusing on stars like Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Patrice Bergeron, it felt fair to give other players a chance in the limelight. At the end of the day, this season is a big one for each of them for one reason or another.

Before beginning, it is important to note that these players are in no particular order.

Let’s get started.

G Linus Ullmark

Linus Ullmark was the Bruins’ most expensive acquisition this summer, so naturally, many fans will watch him closely this season. Fellow goaltender Tuukka Rask has expressed interest in returning to the Bruins, but with him out until at least January, Ullmark is going to be the starter. Even if Rask returns later in the season, it will be Ullmark’s net for at least the start of the year. This is why they signed him for four years in the first place.

On a historically bad Buffalo Sabres team last season, Ullmark put up very solid statistics. In 20 games, he had a 9-6-3 record to go along with a 2.63 GAA and .917 SV%. During the season before, he posted a .915 SV% and 17-14-3 record. With the Bruins having a much stronger defensive group than Buffalo, it will interesting to see if his numbers improve behind it. Buffalo did not have a Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo-type on their backend.

For the time being, Ullmark is the first starting goalie the Bruins have had besides Rask in a very long time. Although people are quick to criticize the latter’s tenure here, he’s been a great goalie and was a huge reason for their success over this last decade. Therefore, Ullmark has big shoes to fill. However, he’s not the only goaltender on this list who carries this task.

G Jeremy Swayman

Jeremy Swayman is the second-half of the Bruins’ goaltender duo heading into the season. With how well he played last season, there’s a solid chance that they will have him and Ullmark as a 1A-1B tandem. That’s ignoring the possibility of Rask returning to the team, of course.

In 10 games this season with the Bruins, Swayman had a 7-3-0 record to go along with a spectacular 1.50 GAA and .945 SV%. It is very hard not to be excited to see what he will provide in his first full season with the club. That kind of success for a 22-year-old goalie is immensely impressive, even if the sample size was small. If he can continue to play this well, the Bruins will be all set in goal.

There’s even more reason for optimism when seeing how well Swayman played before joining the NHL, too. In 2020 with the University of Maine, his stellar play allowed him to win the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top collegiate goaltender. He also was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, Hockey East Player of the Year, and NCAA New England MVP. With Providence this past season, he followed that up with an 8-1-0 record and .933 SV%.

The Bruins could have a real gem in Swayman, so we will have to see how he does during this season. Every fan should be rooting for his success.

C Charlie Coyle

With the departure of David Krejci, Charlie Coyle is expected to take over his spot at second-line center. That’s a huge task for the 29-year-old, as Krejci held the role for many seasons and was fantastic in the process. Coyle, on the other hand, is coming off of a down season. In 51 games, he scored just six goals and had 16 points. Thus, it is understandable if fans are concerned with him taking over this spot of the lineup.

Yet, it also is important to remember that Coyle had a 37-point campaign in 70 games the season before with Boston. His best year came during the 2016-17 season when he had 18 goals and 56 points in 82 games with the Minnesota Wild. He also scored 21 goals the season before in 82 games. He is still fairly young as well, so there is reason to believe that he can turn it around.

Furthermore, in this spot, he will have the opportunity to play with a very skilled player in Taylor Hall. This alone should be enough for him to produce a bit more moving forward. At right wing, one has to assume that it will be Craig Smith on the line, as he formed great chemistry with Hall at the end of the season. Both of these two are upgrades over his linemates last season, as Jake DeBrusk had his struggles and recently departed Nick Ritchie had his cold streaks at times.

This is a big chance for Coyle to rebound and make his $5.25 million cap hit look far less rough. Bruin fans should be rooting for his success, as he has the tools to turn it around. There’s nothing wrong with possessing some optimism, right?

LW/C Trent Frederic

Trent Frederic quickly made himself known during his first full season with the Bruins. He became their primary agitator, as he took on a number of fights and even stood up to Tom Wilson. He will be looking to become a mainstay on their fourth-line and has a shot of playing left wing on it.

In 42 games this past season, Frederic scored four goals and added an assist. Thus, one has to wonder if the 2016 first-round pick will take a step forward offensively this season. He’s worked out well when it comes to tenacity and physicality, but the Bruins would benefit from him contributing more on the scoresheet. The 23-year-old forward is still quite young, so there is reason to believe that he will be able to improve from here on that front.

The Bruins have plenty of depth in their bottom-six, so Frederic will need to show signs of improvement at camp. The team added Tomáš Nosek through free agency and although he primarily plays center, he also can play left wing. Therefore, a line of Nosek on the wing with Curtis Lazar and Chris Wagner is quite possible. It will be intriguing to see if Frederic can beat Lazar or Wagner out for a spot.