Boston Bruins: 3 players who need to step up in 2021-22 NHL season
By Ryan Whitley
With most of the 2021 offseason behind us, it’s officially time to start looking forward to the regular season for the Boston Bruins.
Coming off of last year’s frustrating second round loss to the New York Islanders, the B’s kick off the preseason in just a few short weeks on September 26.
After having one of the busiest free agency periods in the league, the Bruins roster underwent a little bit of a facelift. From the tremendous re-signings of Taylor Hall and defensive stalwart Brandon Carlo, to the troubling departure of David Krejci, to the likely end of the Tuukka Rask era in Boston and everything in between, Don Sweeney was a busy man this summer.
Even with all these moves, though, there are no guarantees heading into the 2021-22 season. This rings especially true in the division with both of last year’s Stanley Cup Final teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.
We know what Boston’s top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak can do. What will determine the team’s success this year is other players stepping up, something that hasn’t happened consistently in recent seasons. Here are three players who will need to step up for the B’s to make a run this year.