Puck Daddy’s NHL 2014-15 Emoji Preview: Boston Bruins

(The 2014-15 NHL season is nearly upon us, and attempting to handicap the winners and losers can sometimes leave us speechless. So we decided to break down all 30 teams with the next best thing to words: Emojis!) 

Last Season In Emojis

Last Season, In Summary 

The Boston Bruins had some new division mates in the revamped Atlantic Division, but the story ended the same way as it has in the (R.I.P.) Northeast Division. A 54-19-9 (117 pts.) not only helped the Bruins win their fourth division title in six years, but also their first Presidents’ Trophy since 1990.

The NHL’s new divisional playoff format, coupled with the realigment had the Bruins facing the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round. After dropping Game 1, Boston won four straight to set up a meeting with hated rival Montreal, their sixth playoff series against the Canadiens since 2002. The series was controversial and emotional and ended in disappointment for the Bruins, as Montreal moved on with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. Boston had built up a 3-2 series lead, but managed to score only once in the final two games.

General manager Peter Chiarelli faced a salary cap crunch over the summer, one that left most of the roster from 2013-14 back for 2014-15. There still might be another move or two in the cards,

Last Season’s Definitive Highlight 

Shake Milan Lucic’s hand the right way or he will threaten to kill you.

Off-Season Transactions

Chiarelli wanted to bring Jarome Iginla back for another year, but the two sides couldn’t agree to an extension and the Bruins GM decided against dismantling his roster had a deal been struck. He would head back west, signing in Colorado on a three-year, $16 million deal. Also leaving was Shawn Thornton, a fan favorite, who headed south with a two-year, $2.4 million contract. Finally, Chad Johnson had a solid year spelling Tuukka Rask and moved on to the New York Islanders, inking a two-year, $2.6 million deal.

There were no major additions to the Bruins’ roster over the summer, only the re-signing of a couple of key pieces. David Krejci was first, coming to terms on a six-year, $43.5 million extension. After a long, drawn-out process, with KHL threat toss out there, RFAs Torey Krug and Reilly Smith signed cheap-o one year, $1.4 million deals. Once Marc Savard goes on LTIR, the team will be just a hair under the cap ceiling.

No team in the Eastern Conference scored more goals than the Bruins last season. Their 3.15 goals per game was good enough for third overall in the NHL, with five players scoring at least 20. Krejci was on the cusp of joining that group with 19. He led the team in points with 69, with linemate Milan Lucic (24 goals, 59 points) not far away.

Getting a shot to replace Iginla on that top line is Loui Eriksson (37 points), who had a season to forget. In his first year in Boston, the 29-year old Swede suffered two concussions and was limited to 61 games. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be very productive next to Krejci and Lucic.

Smith’s re-signing means his line with reigning Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron (62 points) and Brad Marchand (25 goals) will stay together. Smith had a stellar rookie season with 20 goals and 54 points. His one-year deal keeps him an RFA nexts summer, but he does not have arbitration rights, so another strong year will allow him to earn a nice raise. Marchand was the subject of trade rumors as Chiarelli managed his salary cap situation, but he’ll stay, for now, and continue to annoy the rest of the league. (Not to mention that he and “Perfect” Patrice have great chemistry.)

Carl Soderberg made a fine first impression during his “rookie” season in the NHL. The 28-year old posted 48 points in 73 games, giving the Bruins a boost in the secondary scoring department. The offense fell off from there as the likes of Chris Kelly (18 points), Daniel Paille (18 points) and Gregory Campbell (21 points) chipped in what they could.

Finally, could rookie David Pastrnak and training camp invite Simon Gagne find their way onto the roster?

No NHL team had a better goal differential than the Bruins’ plus-84 and only the Los Angeles Kings (2.05) had a better goals allowed per game average than Boston (2.08). Since the 2008-09 season, they have not been lower than sixth in the category.

You cannot talk about the Bruins’ defense without starting with captain Zdeno Chara. He may be 37 and may be slowing down a big, but he’s still a 6-foot-9 presence on the ice tha can score (17 goals) and defend (48.3-percent defensive zone starts and facing tough competition). He’ll be aided offensively by the newly-signed Torey Krug (14 goals, 40 points), who played more sheltered minutes.

If Chiarelli is to make a deal before opening night, Johnny Boychuk’s (5 goals, 23 points) name will rise in the rumor mill. He’s entering the final year his deal featuring a $3.367 million cap hit and is slated to become a UFA next summer.

Coming off major knee surgery, what can the Bruins expect from Dennis Seidenberg, who was limited to 34 games last season? Dougie Hamilton took a nice step forward (7 goals, 25 points) in his development. His 3.6-percent Corsi Rel (shot differential 3.6-percent in Boston’s favor when he was on the ice at 5-on-5) is a nice sign of growth on a team already strong in puck possession.

It was a big year for Tuukka Rask. After winning an Olympic bronze medal with Finland in February, he took home the Vezina Trophy in June after posting a season with 36 wins, a 2.04 goals against average and a .941 even strength save percentage. He’ll have another new backup after Anton Khudobin’s departure last summer and Johnson leaving for New York in July. Niklas Svedberg played the last two years with Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence, preparing him for the 20-25 starts he’s likely to receive.

Probable Text Conversation Within Organization

Special Teams

Assistant coach Geoff Ward, who left to take the head coach with Adler Mannheim of the DEL, went out on top. The Bruins’ power play jumped seven percent from 2013, finishing with a 21.7-percent success rate. Ten of Chara’s 17 goals last season came with the extra man, with the big man finding a home in front of opposing netminders. Smith (14 PP points) and Soderberg (16 PP points) were big contributors on unit no. 2.

The Bruins’ penalty kill has been up and down for the past several years, with 2013-14 ending with the unit killing 83.6-percent of power plays faced. Being able to send a Chara, Marchand (5 SHGs) and Bergeron over the boards helps.

GM and Coach

Deciding against bringing back Iginla and the cheap signings of Krug and Smith have allowed Chiarelli to wade the rough salary cap waters and not blow up his Presidents’ Trophy-winning team. All Boston has done since Julien arrived is win. Only twice have his Bruins teams failed to get out of the first round, both times the series went the distance.

And Now, A Blooper 

NO, BRENDAN, NO!

The Potential Best Thing About This Team

Eriksson stays healthy for the entire year and the top line doesn’t miss a beat; Rask continues his Vezina-winning form; Chara doesn’t lose a step and the Bruins are again contending for the Eastern Conference crown.

The Potential Worst Thing About This Team

Any potential move made by Chiarelli shakes up the roster in a bad way; Chara slows down and the secondary scoring evaporates, making for an interesting summer 2015, where there are potential UFAs and RFAs galore on the roster.

Single Emoji Prediction

Prediction: The Bruins won’t sail smoothly to the Atlantic Division this season — not with good things coming from Tampa Bay and Montreal. They will again be one of the East’s best, but the competition improved over the summer. Will Chiarelli’s handcuffs be what hurts this Boston team in the end, or is there one more run in this group?