Predicting Stat Lines for Boston Bruins Stars in 2013-14 Season

The Boston Bruins' top six will sport two new stars this season, and the arrival of Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla could result in big years for their new linemates. 

With centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron coming off scintillating postseason performances, the Bruins offense looks set for a significant improvement in 2013-14. 

Here is a look at what kind of production you should expect to see from Boston's top six forwards this season.

David Krejci

David Krejci is the Boston Bruins' most gifted offensive talent. He has proven that by leading the National Hockey League in postseason points twice in the last three seasons. 

While its hardly a knock against the center that he saves his best for the playoffs, his regular-season play has hardly ever made full use of his remarkable ability. 

Krejci has only replicated his elite .90 postseason points per game average in one of his six NHL seasons. He burst onto the scene with 73 points in his first full NHL season back in 2008-09, but his production has slipped ever since. 

Despite the fact that he has 82-point potential, he has been held back by inconsistent wing play in recent years. Despite all of their talent, power forwards Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic often waited until April to emerge from hibernation in recent years, only reaching peak performance in brief spurts.

Perhaps things will change with Jarome Iginla replacing Horton on the right wing. Iginla has always been a consistent producer, and the future Hall of Famer is the best pure scorer Krejci has ever played alongside.

If Iginla can outrun father time for at least one more season, he could give Krejci a much-needed spark. If Milan Lucic can become a 30-goal scorer once again, it will provide an even bigger boost.

With his confidence surging and questions about his future silenced by the Tyler Seguin trade, expect a strong campaign from the 27-year-old. It may not be his highest scoring season, but it should be an improvement upon recent returns. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	47	10	23	33	.70	plus-1
Career	424	91	218	309	.73	plus-58
2013-14 Projected	82	20	49	69	.84	plus-15

Milan Lucic

Unlike many of his teammates, Milan Lucic did not play overseas during last season's lockout. When hockey returned to the States, he looked unprepared. 

Though he was throwing his usual big hits, he was rarely hitting the net. The former 30-goal scorer struck just seven times in the shortened season, averaging a measly .56 points per game. 

It was Lucic's worst season since an injury-plagued 2009-10 campaign, leading coach Claude Julien to drop him from the lineup with the playoffs approaching. 

Luckily for Lucic and the Bruins, things got a lot better in the postseason. The 25-year-old put up 19 points in 22 games, feeding off of red-hot linemates David Krejci and Nathan Horton.

In light of recent seasons, the time has come to reassess the intimidating forward. The winger's early success made him Boston's primary scoring option, a role in which he failed to thrive.

Once thought to be a dominant power forward capable of leading an offense, he now looks more like a solid complementary player with a big upside in bursts.  

Jarome Iginla will replace him as the primary threat to light the lamp on the Krejci line, which should relieve Lucic of pressure. 

As Krejci's No. 2 target in front of the goal, he might have an easier time producing. Expect a decent bounce-back season from the six-year vet, but don't count on him to set career highs. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	46	7	20	27	.56	plus-8
Career	405	97	142	239	.59	plus-51
2013-14 Projected	82	25	31	56	.68	plus-12

Jarome Iginla

There's no doubt about Jarome Iginla's elite ability around the net, but his age is beginning to raise questions. How long can he continue to be a star?

At age 36, Iginla won't win another Art Ross Trophy, but he can still provide star-caliber production. 

Keep in mind that he is five years younger than Jaromir Jagr and seven years younger than Teemu Selanne. Selanne posted 48 goals and 94 points at age 36 back in 2006-07. The Finnish Flash has proved that age is only a number by scoring 20-plus goals in the four seasons since. 

Of course Iginla is not Teemu Selanne, and he probably won't hit for anything close to 94 points. However, he could still reestablish himself as a top-notch winger. 

Iginla totaled 75 goals in his last two full-length seasons, and he was a point-per-game player as recently as 2011. 

His 33 points in 2013 would have tied David Krejci for second on the Bruins' scoring list—and playing alongside Krejci should allow him to be even better this winter. 

Iginla never benefited from an elite center in Calgary and he still managed to score more than 500 goals. Next to Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, Iginla nearly managed a point per game with five goals and six assists in 13 games. 

His age may show at times, but it won't be a major hindrance. With the help of Krejci's playmaking, Iginla should have no trouble scoring 30 goals for the 12th time in as many full seasons. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	44	14	19	33	.75	minus-5
Career	1232	530	576	1106	.90	plus-48
2013-14 Projected	82	34	32	66	.80	plus-17

Patrice Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron's game can hardly be quantified on a stat sheet. The 2012 Selke Trophy winner does so much beyond the realm of goals and assists that it almost seems unfair to imply that his performance can be evaluated with numbers. 

Perhaps the stat that describes Bergeron best is plus-minus. The center's plus-60 rating over the last two seasons is the best in the NHL. After ranking sixth in the league this past season, the Bruins' alternate captain should lead the NHL again this year, as he did in 2012. 

While padding the Bruins' goal differential, Bergeron could also near his career high in points. After mentoring youngsters Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand in recent seasons, he will now be flanked by two established veteran stars. 

Loui Eriksson brings a strong two-way presence and a consistently productive stick to Bergeron's right side—and Brad Marchand is no longer a kid. 

The Marchand-Bergeron-Eriksson trio should be Boston's best offensively, and it might just be the league's best defensively. 

If Marchand continues to mature at his current rate and Eriksson adjusts well to life in Boston, Bergeron should be in for his best statistical year since his 31-goal, 73-point campaign back in 2005-06. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	42	10	22	32	.76	plus-24
Career	579	183	280	433	.75	plus-70
2013-14 Projected	82	22	48	70	.85	plus-44

Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand has improved in each of his three seasons with the Bruins. Now we will find out if Boston's 2013 leading scorer can continue his ascent. 

Another jump in production could make Marchand a superstar, but a plateau seems more likely. The 25-year-old is in his prime, and he should be able to sustain his current scoring rate for a few years. 

Marchand's high-energy game gets results, but his talent doesn't yet merit comparisons to the game's best. 

Though he has an outside chance of becoming a point-per-game player, it looks as if his reign as the Bruins' points leader won't last long. 

With Loui Eriksson taking Tyler Seguin's spot across the faceoff circle, Marchand will have more internal competition than ever before. 

Even if he reaches career highs across the board, he is unlikely to finish as the top dog in Boston. 

That said, Marchand is ready and able to score 30-plus goals. He almost certainly would have reached that plateau in 2013 if not for the lockout. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	45	18	18	36	.80	plus-23
Career	218	67	66	133	.61	plus-76
2013-14 Projected	82	34	35	69	.85	plus-38

Loui Eriksson

Acquired in the controversial Tyler Seguin trade, Loui Eriksson is bound to face more pressure than any of his new teammates in 2013-14. 

Following Seguin's superb sophomore season, in which he led the Bruins in both goals and points, Boston fans fully believed that they had a star on their hands. 

Even in light of the youngster's 2013 drop-off, those fans will need to be sold on Eriksson. 

The consistent two-way winger should be ready to meet the high expectations, and he should finally be recognized as an elite NHL player in the Atlantic Division spotlight. 

Eriksson's three 70-point seasons make him the Bruins' most accomplished forward not named Jarome Iginla. The Swede would have led the Bruins in points in each of those seasons. 

Unless he helps linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand to the mark, he should be the first Bruin to score more than 70 points since Marc Savard nabbed 88 in 2008-09. 

Playing on the most balanced line of his career, Eriksson should easily hit a career high in plus-minusand his career-best 73 points might not hold up through April. 

Expect the 28-year-old Eriksson to thrive in New England. 

Stats:

	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Points per Game	+/-
2013	48	12	17	29	.60	minus-9
Career	501	150	207	357	.71	plus-31
2013-14 Projected	82	33	45	78	.95	plus-43

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