The good news for the Bruins in the 2011-12 season was that they were the best team in the Northeast Division by a wide margin. They took advantage of a weak division from its traditionally strong competition and even got a favorable first-round opponent in the playoffs.
Bad news? Well. They didn’t defend their Stanley Cup title (Canucks fans you can breathe that sigh of relief and celebrate for a second). It ended after just seven games with a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Washington Capitals in the first round.
The biggest shift for the Bruins will be in net where 2011 Conn Smythe trophy winner Tim Thomas decided to opt out for a year and do god knows what while Tuukka Rask gets the share of duties.
If the B’s can force themselves on their opponents and play there suffocating style the way they did last season, and particularly against their division which they posted a record of 19-4-1 last season, they should have no problem and the transition for Rask should be just as easy.
The Bruins’ are still benefiting after the Phil Kessel trade, now that Dougie Hamilton and power forward Jared Knight should have a good shot at making the team this season. However they aren’t the only ones who could have a shot. Skilled winger Ryan Spooner was one of the final cuts in 2011-12 and could force the issue again and form a long time pairing with Seguin up front.
In June, the team also added an excellent prospect by drafting Malcolm Subban in the first round. Subban who is the brother of PK Subban is an excellent goaltending prospect and should have a shot at making the team in the coming years ahead. Don’t worry Habs/Bruins fans, the Subban vs Subban matchup could happen soon. Subban who was the starting goaltender for Canada in the 2013 world juniors showed signs of brilliance and greatness in the fourth place finish at the tournament.
(Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
An off-season that lacked marquee additions wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the B’s who still have a core of their talent from the Stanley Cup winning team from the 2010-2011 season. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both have two years left on their current deals and Tyler Seguin and Milan Lucic are still at least one more contract away from UFA. This would mean that the core forward group could stick together for a couple years at the very least.
But seriously the real question everyone may still want to know is what exactly is going on with Tim Thomas? One minute he’s declining an invitation to the white house, next he’s bashing the USA politics on Facebook, and now he’s opting out for a year? Much like the Savard soap opera from last off-season, the Thomas drama could lead a black cloud over the Bruins team going into the 2013 season. Luckily the team has an excellent netminder taking over and it truly is now Tuukka Time in Boston!
Kevin Cawthra
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