Earlier in the month, I posted a question asking whether the Boston Bruins will get the best of the Florida Panthers. Judging from the way both teams have played in recent seasons, the Panthers should be the ultimate obstacle for whether Boston enjoys an outstanding 2024-25 season or one that could fall short of expectations.
But let’s play the ‘what-if’ game: What if the Panthers, for one reason or another, underperform this season? In fact, what if they look like the 2023-24 Vegas Golden Knights, who were a fringe playoff contender and one-and-done in the postseason, just one year removed from winning its first Stanley Cup?
Let’s further consider a scenario in which the New York Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy again, and they play Florida in the first round. In this case, the Bruins aren’t getting the best of Florida, so it wouldn’t be part of this checklist I’m about to lay out. Instead, let’s discuss three internal factors that will decide whether Boston will be successful in 2024-25.
Develop a strong goaltender tandem
While I’m confident the Bruins would be fine in the interim with Joonas Korpisalo, they would be much better off long-term with Jeremy Swayman in the net. So, if they want to be truly successful in 2024-25, or at least set the stage for success, they need to get a deal done with Swayman.
Right now, things don’t look encouraging, but in pro sports, something unexpected for the better is always a possibility. But even if they can’t get a deal done with Swayman and end up moving him, they’ll need to come up with a contingency plan quickly because Korpisalo, as good as he can be with a decent hockey team, isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 goaltender.
Get more efficient and consistent with the puck
While the Bruins were one of the better teams in scoring last season, placing 12th in the league with 267 goals, the truth is they should have been much better. This team ended the year with roughly five actual goals for over expected and while it’s above-average, a team like the Bruins should be light years above that.
One of the reasons behind the average mark in goals for at 5-on-5 could stem from the Bruins pedestrian 47.7 Corsi For. Flashback to their dominant 2022-23 season and the Bruins Corsi For in the same situation was a solid 51.5 percent while their actual goals for was 8.5 above expected. They need to get back to something that resembles their 2022-23 campaign, and you’ll see a team that should win the Atlantic this year regardless of how good Florida looks.
Make a deep playoff run
I know many Boston fans would put something like ‘win the Stanley Cup’ here, but even teams that aren’t figuring to compete in 2024-25 should have that as their ultimate goal. Instead, let’s go over what the Bruins must do to put themselves in a position to truly contend for a Cup: Don’t get knocked out of the playoffs so early.
In 2023, head coach Jim Montgomery saw his team get knocked out in the first round before they were subjected to a second-round exit last year. This season, while it would be beyond disappointing to see them make a trip to the Eastern Conference Final only to get turned away, you can still consider 2024-25 a successful season.
Why? Well, the Bruins just put themselves one step closer to reaching that ultimate goal, so it means they also took another step forward. Ideally, an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final and winning the whole thing is what we want, but a trip to the Conference Final means this team finished the year a cut above what they did in 2023-24.