Charlie Coyle was one player that the coaches, front office and fans alike were looking to step up this season with the departure of Bergeron and Krejci. He talked about taking on a greater responsibility as the teams top center on the “Morning Bru with Jaffe and Razor”, and said he was looking forward to the challenge. For the most part you could say that he did step up, having the points of his career with 60 points and a career high 25 goals. He did have several scoring slumps throughout the season and is probably never going to be the goal scorer that the front office and fans want him to be. If he is your top line center, that might be a sign of how far your team can go in the playoffs. Not to knock on him too much, every team would be happy to have Charlie Coyle, just maybe not on the top line.
Danton Heinen has to be the story of the season, going from signing a PTA at the beginning of the season to becoming an invaluable member of the team by the start of the playoffs. He finished the season with a modest 36 points, but his impact was felt in more ways than just points when he was bumped up in the lineup. He is a legit NHL player and was a real joy to watch him grow as a player and earn more playing time throughout the season.
Both injuries and lack of offense towards the end of the season caused Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery to shuffle up the lines throughout the season. The 3rd defense line was a rotating cast of characters, the players like Kevin Shattinkirk, Parker Wotherspoon, Mason Lohrei, Matt Gryzlk and Andrew Peeke all getting a shot. The Bruins struggled to score at the end of the season, prompting Montgomeney to try different forward lines to try and generate more goals. Although I don’t mind switching things up, it also seemed like there was not a definitive lineup going into the playoffs.
The biggest question of course being who was going to start in the playoffs, Swayman or Ullmark. It was a constant coin toss on who was playing better, their stats were similar and both had the ability to make spectacular saves. We will always need to find out if the uncertainty of who was going to start affected them as the team approached the playoffs. In the end Montgomery made his choice in Swayman, but the goalie situation just added to the feeling of uncertainty with the Bruins roster heading into the playoffs.
Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable season to watch as a fan with a lot of good moments. I feel that most fans and analysts alike would say this team overachieved what was expected of them with the departure of their top two centers and three of their top five point scorers. You want your team to win the Stanley Cup every season, but you have to be realistic that this probably is not going to happen. Having a team that had a legitimate chance to win every game they played is something that not all franchises can say and the whole organization should be commended for that.
This season also saw the end of a personal hero for me and someone who I consider a voice of my childhood, Jack Edwards. As far back as last season listening to him call the games you could tell something was off with his speech. He was having trouble pronouncing some words and seemed to be speaking slower overall. Towards the end of this season he acknowledged his trouble speaking and that doctors could not explain his speech problems, but that he had no neurological problems. Just before the start of the playoffs he announced the playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs would be his last games announcing the Bruins. I wish him the best and watching the Bruins is not going to be the same without him.
The Bruins Review 