What a season it was on the ice in Boston and as we look forward to the news season the Bruins are the betting odds favorites to win the 2012 Stanley Cup. Do they have the tools they need to repeat?
The Boston Bruins are now next years NHL odds favorites following their 2010-11 season, which was quite a magical one. Plenty of suspense
was involved as they needed to win three Game 7’s in the playoffs – including
on the road in the Stanley Cup finals round – to hoist Lord Stanley’s mug.
There isn’t a whole lot that the Bruins need to change to
get themselves into position to compete once again. Most people would point to
the fact that goal scoring is a big flaw, but they proved that theory wrong in
the playoffs.
With a healthy Nathan Horton and Marc Savard, this team
should be in contention once again in 2012.
What They’ve Got:
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The best goaltender in the NHL in Tim Thomas.
Make no mistakes about it, the main reason that the
Bruins are the current Stanley Cup champs is because goaltender Tim Thomas
posted not only a great season overall, but possibly the best season ever for a
goaltender.
In the regular season, he set a new record for save
percentage, then set a record for saves in the playoffs while posting four
shutouts.
The Bruins will return virtually their entire team intact
for next season. Their main unrestricted free agents are Michael Ryder and
Tomas Kaberle. The only other UFA’s are Mark Recchi has decided to retire and
Shane Hnidy wasn’t an integral part of the team.
The Bruins have one restricted free agent, which is Brad
Marchand, but he fits into the budget as well as Kaberle and Ryder, if they
come back for less money. Aside from that, the Bruins have their entire team
back and they’ll have money to spend on free agents as well.
As far as Stanley Cup champs go in the salary cap era,
the Bruins are in as good of shape as a team can be.
What They Need:
The Bruins have two main needs: goal scoring and some
depth on defense.
The first might be addressed by the return of Savard – if
he in fact returns. He’s suffered a pair of serious concussions over the last
two seasons that may lead him into retirement.
If that’s the case, the Bruins could be players for Brad
Richards in free agent, who is an excellent top-line center and a quality
facilitator. The B’s need a man who can anchor the top line and also give their
power play a boost, which is something that Richards is capable of doing.
The second need for the Bruins depth on defense. Zdeno
Chara is an elite defenseman but beyond him, the Bruins have Andrew Ference,
Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid. It’s not a bad corps, but
another elite level defenseman – along with the return of Kaberle – is all they
really need.
Outlook:
The Bruins will be in contention in 2012; there is little
evidence to illustrate to the contrary. Bodog has Boston listed as 8/1 in their NHL Future Betting Odds to pull the repeat, with both the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins close behind at 9/1.
Some of the previous Stanley Cup champions who have won
during the salary cap era (after the lockout season), such as the Chicago
Blackhawks, were completely cash-strapped and had to make major roster changes.
The Bruins could potentially bring their entire team back and have money to
spend in free agency, so they are in great shape.
With
that in mind, the Bruins will be the favorite to win the Northeast Division
once again and will have a big say in how the Eastern Conference plays out as
well. Look for the Boston Bruins to be in the race again next year for the
2012 Stanley Cup.