The Boston Bruins' 2025-26 season just got a bit more interesting, as there would be nothing better than for the roster to prove ESPN's Greg Wyshynski wrong after the shade he threw at them in his predictions article. He has the Bruins finishing last in the Atlantic Division, which doesn't really go against the grain, considering everyone is predicting that. Still, some of his comments might turn into bulletin board material in the locker room, if they care what he has to say.
One of Wyshynski's more interesting comments was about David Pastrnak, who he compared to Ilya Kovalchuk on the Atlanta Thrashers. While Pastrnak is the offensive driver on his team, it's a bit of a slap in the face to the rest of the roster. The Thrashers didn't have a Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, or even an Elias Lindholm on those rosters with Kovalchuk.
"David Pastrnak is now Ilya Kovalchuk on the Atlanta Thrashers: someone who's good for 50 goals and a 100-point pace no matter who surrounds him, but in service of a basement dweller."Greg Wyshynski
He wasn't completely wrong with his take, as the Bruins won on opening night behind a three-point performance from Pastrnak. The superstar was the catalyst for the first two goals, and the Bruins are likely looking at a devastating 1-0 loss if he didn't put the team on his back. Pastrnak might be the only source of offense, but Wyshynski's take on the defense is just completely wrong.
"If the defense corps is healthy in front of Jeremy Swayman, who had a proper training camp this time, they could grind out some wins for first-year coach Marco Sturm. And by "defense corps" we essentially mean Charlie McAvoy, who was limited to 50 games last season while posting his lowest points-per-60 minutes average in six seasons."Greg Wyshynski
The defense is actually the strength of the team, and you can't mention McAvoy without also adding Hampus Lindholm to that mix. Stating that McAvoy is the only member of the Bruins' defense corps is just a mind-boggling take and one that would be made by someone who just doesn't know the Bruins' roster.
While Lindholm and McAvoy are at the top, Andrew Peeke and Nikita Zadorov showed on opening night that they aren't going to be any slouches, acting as great defensive anchors on a penalty kill that went five-for-five and gave the Capitals nothing with the man advantage.
It isn't time to put the Bruins in the playoffs after a single game, but for one night, they proved that Wyshynski's take was wrong, and most games should play out like Wednesday night, with the defense playing a crucial role in support of Pastrnak.