We don’t know when opening night in the National Hockey League will be.
Jan. 13? Jan. 20? Feb 1.?
But we do know that there’s going to be hockey played in 2021. Well we don’t know, but everything we hear sounds like hockey will be played.
When the Bruins do drop the puck on the 2020-21 season, they’re going to look a little different than they did in the NHL’s playoff bubble over the summer.
Gone are Torey Krug and Joakim Nordstrom. In are Craig Smith and… and… oh, Greg McKegg.
Captain Zdeno Chara remains unsigned and the Bruins are still linked to free agent forward Mike Hoffman.
Oh, and a good amount of Bruins fans out there still want Tuukka Rask traded.
So when the Bruins do finally get back onto the ice, what are they going to look like on opening night?
A lot of that depends on the health of Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak who are both recovering from September surgeries. The original timetable for the two had a Marchand return targeted for January while Pastrnak was expected to return in February.
For the sake of this blog, let’s look at two potential opening night lineups. One with Marchand and Pastrnak, one without and both without the Bruins making any further moves.
With Marchand & Pastrnak:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak
Arguably the best line in hockey, the three will be back for the Bruins leading the offensive charge. Pastrnak is coming off of his first 48-goal season, tying him with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals.
Pastrnak (95) and Marchand (87) both finished in the top-10 in points last season
Jake DeBrusk-David Krejci-Ondrej Kase
While I think Craig Smith is the better long term option on this line, I think Kase gets the first shot on the wing with DeBrusk and Krejci. When the Bruins traded for Kase the expectation was that he would slot into second line right wing spot. But Kase did not get much time with DeBrusk and Krejci after the trade thanks to COVID shutting down the league.
Once Kase was finally able to join the Bruins in the bubble, I thought the brief time Kase appeared with DeBrusk and Krejci was promising. Promising enough to give the three a look out of the gate.
Anders Bjork-Charlie Coyle-Craig Smith
This is a line I would love to see together as I think the three could combine to be one of the better third lines in hockey.
With Bjork’s speed, Coyle’s insane ability to control the puck and Smith being known to have a lot of luck in the dirty areas, you would think this line could do a lot of good together.
If Kase struggles on the second line and this is a line that is providing the Bruins with secondary scoring, it’s a trio that could see some key ice time in the upcoming season.
Nick Ritchie-Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner
Not much here, just a solid fourth line. Not a fan at all of Ritchie’s game, but he’s here and the Bruins will give him an opportunity to you know, do something.
In the mix: Par Lindholm, Karson Kuhlman, Jack Studnicka, Greg McKegg, Anton Blidh, Trent Frederic
Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy
I love the offensive upside of this line. The fancy stats show good things happen offensively for the Bruins when the former Boston University teammates are paired together. While the offensive potential of this pairing is great, can Grzelcyk handle first-pairing minutes defensively?
John Moore-Brandon Carlo
With Carlo once again locked into the right side of the second pairing, who plays to his left could be a revolving door of defenseman. I think you’ll see Moore to start, but should expect a rotation of Moore, Lauzon, Miller and Clifton in and out of the lineup this year.
At least to start.
Jeremy Lauzon-Kevan Miller
A very solid third defensive pairing. Will undoubtedly be an extremely physical pairing and one that is tough to play against. But can Miller’s knees hold up?
In the mix: Connor Clifton, Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril
Tuukka Rask Jaroslav Halak
Not much to say here other than one of the best 1A & 1B combinations in the league.
Without Marchand & Pastrnak:
Anders Bjork-Patrice Bergeron- Craig Smith
If Pastrnak is unable to begin the season, Craig Smith gets a huge opportunity off the bat with his new team. Smith is a solid five-on-scorer, something the Bruins will really need without Marchand and Pastrnak.
Jake DeBrusk-David Krejci-Ondrej Kase
I still think this is your second line in either scenario.
Karson Kuhlman-Charlie Coyle-Jack Studnicka
I don’t love Kuhlman on the off-wing and don’t love Studnicka on the wing in general, but I liked what we saw from Studnicka in the playoffs last year. Whether it’s out of the gate, or down the road, we are going to see a lot of Studnicka this season. Hopefully that’s a good thing.
Nick Ritchie-Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner
Same fourth line as above, maybe Par Lindholm gets a shot over Ritchie?
In the mix: Par Lindholm, Greg McKegg, Anton Blidh, Trent Frederic
*Defensive pairings and goalies are the same as above.