Projecting The Boston Bruins' Opening Night Roster

We're now less than five weeks from the start of the NHL season. Teams are finalizing their rosters and signing their RFAs, and players are getting ready for training camps to open. The Boston Bruins, as they always seem to, added some significant new faces to their lineup over the summer. To top that off, Taylor Hall will now be a permanent fixture with this team for the next four years. However, the departure of David Krejci leaves a glaring hole at 2C. 

With that in mind, let's check out what the lineup looks like at forward:

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall - Charlie Coyle - Nick Foligno

Jake DeBrusk - Erik Haula - Craig Smith

Trent Frederic - Tomas Nosek - Chris Wagner

Jack Studnicka

Curtis Lazar

Karson Kuhlman

That 2C spot is a pretty big weakness, although Charlie Coyle may be able to step up and fill the position. If not, Nick Foligno has some experience as a centre and could slot in instead. The bottom 6 looks good, the additions of Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek give the Bruins a different look down the middle, and as we've seen in recent years, forward depth can win you a Cup. The Bruins are still waiting for Jack Studnicka to break into the NHL full-time, and with a good training camp, he may shift a few things around at the centre position, which the Bruins are hopeful he can eventually play in a top 6 capacity.

On defence things look relatively the same as last year, with one new addition of note:

Matt Grezlyck - Charlie McAvoy

Derek Forbort - Brandon Carlo

Mike Reilly - Connor Clifton

Jakub Zboril

Urho Vaakanainen

John Moore

The signing of Derek Forbort will bolster the Bruins' left side, which is certainly their weaker side on defence. Jakub Zboril is still trying to earn himself a permanent spot on this roster, and will be the first choice to slide into the lineup should injuries occur, especially if John Moore still needs time to recover from his surgery last March. That said, Urho Vaakanainen is running out of time to make his mark on the team that drafted him in 2017. Expect him to get some consistent looks at the NHL level this season, and potentially become a permanent fixture going forward.

In goal, the Bruins have a new starter and a sophomore backup, both good pieces making up a very strong tandem:

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman

Linus Ullmark will get the start on opening night; the Bruins will want to see what they got out of free agency. Ullmark has spent his career so far in Buffalo, posting good numbers on a struggling team. The Bruins' coaches are going to want a good look at what the Swedish netminder can do when competing for a playoff spot. Jeremy Swayman will be entering his second season of NHL duty. He stole the starter's net from Jaroslav Halak last season when Tuukka Rask was injured, and now looks to continue his progression as part of a tandem. Keep in mind, while Rask has not officially signed a new contract, he has said he'd like to return to Boston once he recovers from his surgery. His signing could throw the Bruins' goaltending for a loop and may leave Swayman on the outside looking in come January.

What do you think of this Bruins' opening night lineup, and what would you change?

Photo credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports