Last season: 33-39-10, missed playoffs.
COACH: Marco Sturm, hired June 5. First-time NHL coach.
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 8 at Washington.
DEPARTURES: Coach Joe Sacco, F Vinny Lettieri, D Ian Mitchell, D Parker
Wotherspoon.
ADDITIONS: F Viktor Arvidsson, F Matej Blumel, D Jordan Harris, F Tanner Jeannot, F Michael Eyissimont, F Sean Kuraly.
GOALIES: Jeremy Swayman (22-29-7, 3.11 goals-against average, .892 save percentage), Jonas Korpisalo (11-10-3, 2.90, .893).
BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 200-1.
The Bruins bailed on coach Jim Montgomery after 20 games last season and didn’t improve under interim Joe Sacco, having a fire sale at the trade deadline in which they jettisoned captain Brad Marchand, forwards Justin Brazeau Charlie Coyle, Marc McLaughlin and Trent Frederic along with defenseman Brandon Carlo. They finished with 76 points, last in the Eastern Conference and tied for the fourth-worst record in the NHL. This season will be a transition and then some.
The good: Swayman never really found his groove last season after holding out in training camp and signing an eight-year, $66 million contract two days before the opener. If he can post anything resembling his 2022-23 season, when he went 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA, the Bruins might be able to eke into the playoffs.
The not-so-good: The forward lineup for this season looks weak beyond David Pastrnak. The defense could be better with the healthy return of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, but depth beyond that is thin.
Blumel and Alex Steeves were the top two goal-scorers in the AHL last season. Swayman needs to bounce back from his off season. Will the team play without a captain after trading Marchand last season? If not, the elder statesman is Pastrnak, who may not fit the mold, with McAvoy emerging as the veteran with the most sway in the room.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
