Soundless Culture Shift In Boston

If you take a look down through the Bruins’ roster, you will be struck by one thing. This team has added a lot more promising youth to their roster over the last year! Granted, the Bruins were never really an old team, but while nobody was noticing, the Bruins have gotten much younger. And even though GM Arcesi does not have much of a drafting record as he tends to trade a lot of picks, he’s been able to quietly pick up some young, blue chip prospects, many of whom appear to be almost ready to take a big leap forward to contend as the next wave of players to take significant roles.

There are at least two to three forwards that appear nearly ready to compete for a shot on the team’s top-six. 22 year old Tyler Toffoli starts it all off and has perhaps the highest upside. A scorer at all levels and a guy who isn’t afraid to play any role asked of him, Toffoli has a knack for scoring goals and does it in bunches. He has soft hands and appears almost to be ready to compete for a top 2 line roster spot with the Bruins in the fall, but he will continue to be a solid 3rd or 4th liner until then.

The other forward with a chance to compete for a top 6 role next season is 21 year old Nikita Kucherov.  Kucherov has an explosive skating stride and great one-on-one moves. He can beat defenders on the outside with relative frequency and simply oozes offensive acumen.  The Bruins are looking forward to him being more prominent in their roster next season.

Rounding out the other notable top two line player would be Jason Zucker.  Zucker has proven to be a pleasant surprise this season.  Zucker plays with a great combination of skill and energy.  He skates very well and never quits on a play.  He is also responsible in his own zone, something the Bruins cherish and he boasts plenty of scoring upside.

Other notable young pros that could challenge for 3rd/4th line minutes next year or in the near future are:

·       Matt Fraser, 25

·       Alexander Khokhlachev, 21

·       Seth Griffith, 21

·       Mark Stone, 22

.       Curtis Lazar, 19

Everyone can see they have a young core with guys like Toews, Giroux, Kessel, Parise, and Callahan who are all 30 years old or less. Even though they’re all veterans and have played years in the league, they all should be around for some time.  In the fall, or perhaps the following year they may have some company, or we could see a much different squad than over the past 5 or 6 years as these young stars begin to move from pipeline to production. The future looks very bright in Beantown indeed!