Breaking down the projected opening night forward lines for the Bruins

With a new season dawning on the road in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night for the Bruins, the opening night lines have effectively been established following a series of assignments of young talent back to Providence. Let's break down each projected line from what has been reported at Warrior Arena leading up to the team's debut.

Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak

This line will be essential if the Bruins have any hope of making a playoff push this year. The primary offensive drivers of last season, the weight on them to produce has increased incredibly this past offseason, with limited skill additions in the top six.

The good news is that you can rely on David Pastrnak's superstar ability to show out regardless and find ways to produce, which in turn increased the output of opposite winger Morgan Geekie incredibly, as he put up a career high in points and goals with Pasta on the ice. After a slow start to his tenure in Boston, center Elias Lindholm will look to be living up to his contract this upcoming year and return to form following a season where he played through injury.

Regardless, if this line struggles to produce at any point throughout the season, the team could be in for a lot of trouble offensively as they lack scoring depth in lines two to four. However, I'm expecting Pastrnak and Geekie to pick up where they left off last year, which should help Lindholm's numbers as well.

Zacha-Middlestadt-Arvidsson

The wildcard line. I could see this trio both going ice cold and red hot at certain points during the season, and who knows if most of them will even make it through the trade deadline with the current rumors already swirling about Pavel Zacha. Casey Middlestadt was a surprise addition at this past year's deadline, who flashed at moments offensively despite putting up just 6 points in 18 games for the Bruins. Now settled in as the playmaker of the second line, Middlestadt has an opportunity to showcase his speed and skill in an increased role with a full training camp now under his belt with Boston.

Arvidsson was signed this summer and immediately was slotted in as the 2RW for the team throughout preseason. Arvidsson could have a surprise year with a more offensive pair of teammates around him and second-line minutes, but could also very well become a top trade candidate to a contender come the deadline, should the Bruins be out of the playoff picture. Overall, expect this line to be hot and cold throughout the season, with each linemate putting up about 40 points respectively.

Jeannot-Minten-Eyssimont

An intriguing third line to say the least, the most interesting aspect of this group is newcomer Fraser Minten getting an opportunity out of the gate following a strong camp performance. Minten plays a mature two-way game, optimal for the role a third line center should play, with a solid offensive upside as well still. Bruins fans should be excited to see how he develops over the course of the season.

Alongside him are two other offseason additions from this past free agency period, Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont. Jeannot will likely serve as the more physical force for the line, for which Don Sweeney inked a deal with him.

Whether his offensive upside is still there following his days at Nashville is yet to be seen now that he's in Boston, but his tough nature should give his presence some value in the bottom six and provide a guardian for Minten as he matures on the ice at the pro level. Eyssimont, on the other hand, should give Minten an outlet in transition outside of the defensive zone, as well as having the potential to put points up in certain moments throughout the season.

This line has shades of 2015 all over it; Frank Vatrano-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes.

Khusnutdinov-Kuraly-Kastelic

A return to the old days, the fourth line will again see Sean Kuraly at the helm once more. Bruins fans who watched during the late 2010s and early 2020s should know what Kuraly brings to the table as a tenacious and gritty center who can come up in the clutch when needed. Now, a few years removed from that time, which in the meantime in Columbus, he had his highest offensive output of his career before a season-ending injury, the hope is that Kuraly can return to form once more.

Kastelic is a veteran presence for this line and a team leader, bringing size and the occasional goal or two when needed. He is the physical embodiment of the front office's vision of being difficult to play against this season, as should be the case with this line. To round it all out, Marat Khusnutdinov brings speed and offensive touch to this group to balance out Kastelic's size and complement Kuraly's capabilities in the offensive zone while hopefully still holding up defensively.

As a unit, the group obviously has a lot of questions, and odds are things will change around a shift within the bottom six most commonly with Jeffrey Viel and Johnny Beecher waiting in the wings as likely scratches. On paper, this is a team built with grit and defense in mind, designed to win close, low-scoring games. Should Swayman bounce back, and the defensive unit can hold up as well.