When, If Ever, Will A Bruins Downfall Happen?

The Boston Bruins have been at the top of the league for over a decade now, and no matter who they have in the lineup, they are competitive. Many thought that last season would be the year because of the season-opening injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand in particular, but they set the best record in league history.

The offseason was very tough for the Bruins losing all of their trade deadline acquisitions, their top two centermen, being forced to trade two more players, and losing some others in free agency. This saw the departure of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Connor Clifton, Nick Foligno, and Garnet Hathaway, leaving room for very little cap space to sign anyone despite all of that.

Now after being counted out this season, the team has started 3-0-0 with only four goals against. Many believed that it would be the lack of elite two-way centers on the team as Bergeron was still in peak Selke form. But the defense and goaltending stayed mostly intact and are helping them look just as good again. Last season it was the Bruins' very high PDO (luck stat) that helped them in winning so many games. This season, while above average, isn't nearly as high.

Will the Bruins have to go through any tough stretches to get back to the top, or have they even left. I don't think this is going to last all season, but the start is just as important as the end of the regular season. While Brad Marchand is the last of those aging veterans and will be around for a few more seasons at the very least, players like Jeremy Swayman, McAvoy, and David Pastrnak are the centerpieces of each position and could keep the Bruins afloat. Great coaching and selflessness with contracts is also what has kept Boston at the top for so many years. Contracts are going up, so it could be a matter of time until the downfall starts for a couple of years. I wouldn't count them out though until they prove otherwise.