Complete Preview and Predictions for the Boston Bruins in 2015-16

The once-mighty Boston Bruins made big changes over the summer in an attempt to reverse their downward spiral and get back into the playoff picture.

Presidents' Trophy winners in 2013-14, the Bruins started slow last season, then struggled as a result of injuries to key players like Zdeno Chara and David Krejci before fizzling out down the stretch. Boston was in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot until the final weekend of the season but ultimately lost out to the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bruins' decline last season was evident on both sides of the puck as they dropped from third to 23rd in league scoring from second to 12th in goals against.

During the offseason, new general manager Don Sweeney focused on freeing up salary-cap space and jettisoning the so-called passengers from his roster in hopes of creating better locker-room cohesion.

Here's where the Bruins stand as they head into what they hope is a bounce-back year.

Key Roster Changes

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Key Departures

• Milan Lucic (LW)
• Carl Soderberg (C)
• Dougie Hamilton (D)
• Reilly Smith (RW)
• Daniel Paille (LW)
• Gregory Campbell (C)
• Matt Bartkowski (D)
  
  
• Peter Chiarelli (GM)

Key Additions

• Matt Beleskey (LW)
• Jimmy Hayes (RW)
• Zac Rinaldo (C)
• Matt Irwin (D)

Assistant general manager Don Sweeney took over the GM position two months after incumbent Peter Chiarelli was dismissed when the Bruins failed to qualify for the 2015 playoffs.

Sweeney immediately put his stamp on the team by trading key players Milan Lucic, Dougie Hamilton and Reilly Smith while letting several other longtime Bruins leave the organization as unrestricted free agents.

The Bruins' salary-cap situation was tight heading into the offseason but has eased a bit since Sweeney took over. According to General Fanager, Boston currently has 20 NHL contracts on the books, with more than $4.7 million in cap space available to fill three open roster spots.

This year, at least, the Bruins should be able to fill out their roster without needing to make a last-minute trade to get under the cap ceiling.

Projected 2015-16 Depth Chart

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Forwards

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Loui Eriksson

Matt Beleskey - David Krejci - David Pasternak

Brett Connolly - Ryan Spooner - Jimmy Hayes

Zac Rinaldo - Chris Kelly - Max Talbot

Defense

Zdeno Chara - Zach Trotman

Torey Krug - Adam McQuaid

Matt Irwin - Kevan Miller

Dennis Seidenberg (injured)

Goal

Tuukka Rask

Jonas Gustavsson

Biggest Storylines to Watch

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Team Chemistry

Longtime Bruin Brad Marchand told Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com on the eve of training camp that last year's Bruins team was "divided," and that the lack of cohesion was an issue as the Bruins pushed unsuccessfully to make the playoffs.

Haggerty suggests the offseason departures of Hamilton and Smith were cases of addition by subtraction in an effort to reunite the locker room.

Will the Bruins come back together in the new season, or will more challenges lead to the targeting of more scapegoats?

Chara's Health

When he's on top of his game, Zdeno Chara is a force like no other in the NHL. His massive 6'9" frame and booming shot intimidate the opposition while he dominates on both offense and defense. Chara has also been a workhorse, eating up huge minutes on the blue line.

Though he's a fitness fanatic who keeps himself in top shape, Father Time could be having an impact on Boston's captain. Now 38, Chara missed 19 games with a knee injury last season. He didn't seem to be his usual self after he returned to Boston's lineup in mid-December, finishing the year with 20 points in 63 games.

Now, preseason is off to a rocky start. Chara suffered an upper-body injury in his first exhibition appearance, sounding alarms that his health might continue to be an issue in 2015-16.

If Chara misses much action or can't perform at his usual levels this season, the Bruins' blue line will look seriously suspect.

Who's Backing Up?

Last season, reigning Vezina Trophy-winner Tuukka Rask appeared in 70 of Boston's 82 games, including three relief appearances. As Boston pushed to get into playoff contention, he played in all but four games between January 1 and the end of the season—and two of the games he missed were due to illness.

It's safe to say Claude Julien didn't have much confidence in Rask's backup, Niklas Svedberg.

Twenty-one-year-old prospect Malcolm Subban is earmarked as the goalie of the future in Boston, but was returned to the AHL's Providence Bruins on September 27, per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. He'll start his third professional season in the AHL.

The inside track on the backup job appears to belong to belong to 30-year-old Jonas Gustavsson. "The Monster" spent the last three seasons backing up Jimmy Howard with the Detroit Red Wings, but struggled with injury issues last season, appearing in just seven NHL games.

If he can stay healthy, Gustavsson should offer Julien a trustworthy veteran option that helps Rask get the rest he needs over the course of the season.

Best and Worst Case Scenarios

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Best-Case Scenario

The Bruins are just one year removed from their Presidents' Trophy-winning 117-point season.

If Don Sweeney has correctly addressed Boston's chemistry issues and if Zdeno Chara can contribute a relatively healthy season, the Bruins should find themselves back in the playoff picture.

With a healthy David Krejci, continued improvement from sophomore David Pasternak and scoring contributions from new additions Matt Beleskey and Boston's own Jimmy Hayes, the rebooted offense will fuel the Bruins' climb back up to the top ranks of the Atlantic Division.

Worst-Case Scenario

If Sweeney hasn't done enough to replace the talent he cut loose, it could be another long season in Boston.

Lucic, Soderberg, Smith and Hamilton accounted for 54 of 213 goals scored by the Bruins last season—just over 25 percent. That's a lot of offense to lose, especially from a team that struggled to score.

Unless Tuukka Rask is absolutely lights-out, the lack of scoring could lead to a lack of wins. And that could mean curtains for coach Claude Julien even before the winter deep freeze sets in.

Final Prediction

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Just like the other teams that have won Stanley Cups in this decade, Boston has found itself between a rock and a hard place—trying to keep its winning core together for the long term, augmenting the group with top-level talent and developing prospects to eventually take over—all while staying within the restrictions of the salary cap.

Just seven skaters now remain from the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup-winning roster: Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Marchand, Chris Kelly, Dennis Seidenberg, Chara and Adam McQuaid.

The Bruins are hoping they'll be able to follow the example of the Chicago Blackhawks and quickly rebuild their roster but chances are, the work is only beginning.

Expect another fifth-place finish in the Atlantic Division.