These Are the Players That Could Have A Breakout Season

The Boston Bruins are not in as much trouble as people think. If these kids can break out and make a name for themselves. All of the prospects the Bruins have in the system is what they have going in their favor. Who will we see in the big club this season?  Maybe we will even see some become stars.

Frank Vatrano

Frank Vatrano is a kid who has excellent potential but he has just not been able to put it all together. No one knows if it is just because he is not that good or if he is playing with the wrong people. I think it is that he is playing with the wrong people. He generally plays on the line with Ryan Spooner.

Now Spooner is not a bad player but I do not think he is the centerman for Frank. Frank needs a guy like Backes or Bergeron to feed him the puck. Vatrano is a shooter and shooters are going to shoot. Frank has one of the best shots that I have seen in a while, it is not his speed at which he shoots but his quick release. Similarly to David Krejci, Frank is a guy with a sneaky good shot, and get it off in almost any situation.

Vatrano has played in 83 career games with the Bruins over two seasons. In those two seasons, Frank has 18 goals and 29 assists. I say Vatrano is the dark horse for the Bruins this year.

Charlie McAvoy

Charlie McAvoy showed us in the playoffs that he is ready for the NHL Now. This kid has what looks like top 2 potential. However, let us keep in mind that he is only 19 and has only played 6 NHL Games. It very tiring hearing people say that this kid is the second coming of Bobby Orr. McAvoy is a very talented young prospect with a ton of potential. We should not put him on a pedestal and overwhelm him with crazy expectations. Just let the kid play hockey and wait to see what happens.

In his time here he played with Zdeno Chara and also has some time on the power play, and this is where he started to look comfortable. McAvoy has an extremely high hockey IQ and this is why he will be running the power play in one of the units, this is also why he is such a good defenseman.

In the six games, he played Charlie had 3 assists. Look for McAvoy to be apart of the top 4 most likely playing with Chara, as he would be the pick to have the best year.

Brandon Carlo

After finishing his first full year with the team Brandon Carlo looks like he is ready to take an even bigger role on the team. This past year he took on a big role already by being paired with Chara as the teams first pair. This was a huge ask of a 19-year-old. He then went out and proved that he deserved that spot.

Carlo averaged 20 minutes of ice time during the regular season. Carlo is the opposite if McAvoy as not many people knew of him and his expectation from the fans was not as high. He is an excellent and very smart defenseman. I would say he plays more of a 2-way game with more concentration on the defense but he can still produce offensively.

Carlo skated in 82 games the last season and scored 16 points. He was also a plus 9. Look for Carlo to Fight for the number one pairing spot with McAvoy in Camp. Either way, The Bruins Top 4 is starting to look pretty good.

Anders Bjork

There is not much known about Ander Bjork other than he played at Notre Dame this past season. He also helped them get to the frozen four. Bjork is a great player from what has been seen from his play with the Irish. He is a goalscorer and that is what the Bruins need is offense. This kid can play but like McAvoy, he is still unproven at the professional level so we will have to wait.

Hopefully, he has a good camp and makes the big club which he most likely will. Bjork has all upside at this point and he is looking to prove that he is ready to play now.

Boston Bruins Rookie Charlie McAvoy Praises Chara

The Boston Bruins have had one defenseman who has been better than their rest for a very long time. That player is Zdeno Chara. But Big Z might not have to be the best d-man on the B’s this season.

The reason for that is the insertion of rookie defensemen and former Boston University standout Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy projects to be one of the top 2 defensemen on the Boston Bruins this season and could overtake Chara as the best on the team.

That would be a long time coming, Chara has been the Bruins best for far too long. One concern fans might have is Boston trying to restrict the style McAvoy plays. But as shown in the 2016 playoffs the Boston Bruins are willing to allow McAvoy to get creative when moving the puck.

“They definitely don’t minimize [my creativity with the puck], they allow me to play my game,” McAvoy, currently in Toronto for the NHLPA Rookie Showcase, said of the Bruins. “And as long as I play a two-way, responsible game, and spend a lot of time in the offensive zone, I think everybody will be happy.”

Boston Bruins Want To Sign David Pastrnak Long-Term According To Team Ownership

The David Pastrnak news continues to swirl around. On Monday we had the ex-NHL gm throwing out a trade rumor, on Tuesday Don Sweeney shot it down. And now on Wednesday, Boston Bruins owner Charlie Jacobs declares the team wants a long-term contract extension.

“There certainly was no intention to trade David,” Jacobs said during an in-studio visit to Fenway Park as part of the 2017 WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon. “Our intent is to sign David to a long-term extension.”

As for the Brian Lawton rumor, Jacobs wants to know who his source is.

“I think by virtue of it being the middle of August, some of the writers may feel compelled and come up with something interesting to sell a paper perhaps,” Jacobs offered, “I wanted to ask Brian Lawton who his source was, but I’m not sure he’d give it up.”

Jacobs said there has been no discussions with other teams regarding a Pastrnak trade and continue to publicly state they want a long-term deal.

“We certainly haven’t had any discussions with any other teams about trading David,” Jacobs said. “The only discussions that we’ve had are between David and David’s agent, and frankly conveying just what I shared with you, that our intention is to sign him to a long-term deal.

As for term, the Boston Bruins are thinking 6+ years.

“When I say long term, six or more years, that’s on our radar.”

As for my opinion. I believe the team is still trying to knock out a long-term contract with the young forward. There isn’t alot of trades I would consider. If you move on from him for a forward, that wouldn’t make sense. If you could land a young top of the league defensemen, then I am listening.

A player like Drew Doughty who is in the prime of his career would be a trade I would entertain if I was the Bruins. But I am not sure that type of yield will be out there for Pastrnak. I think one of the biggest issues right now is Pastrnak is asking for an much higher value than the Bruins are comfortable with.

I continue to expect a deal to be signed, sealed, and delivered right at the start of training camp next month.