Can the Bruins win the 2025 Stanley Cup? The arguments for and against a title run

Swayman faces new pressures. For the first time in his career, he is the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Boston. Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators in June, leaving Swayman with newly signed Joonas Korpisalo on Boston’s goaltending depth chart.

Swayman has never started more than 43 games in a regular season. How will he cope with the increased workload this year? Well, he’s only 25 years old and played 11 straight playoff games last season without a problem, so he shouldn’t have a problem.

The bottom line is that Swayman is one of the best goaltenders in the league, and that is incredibly valuable to the Bruins. Goaltenders have the ability to steal a playoff series (or two), and Swayman pretty much did that in last year’s first round when he allowed two or fewer goals in all six starts against the Toronto Maple Leafs, including one 30 saves in Game 7 overtime win.

A healthy Swayman makes the Bruins a dangerous opponent in the playoffs.

The argument against: Lack of scoring depth and power play issues

The Bruins finished 13th in goals scored last season, which wasn’t great but was still in the top half of the league. However, the offense faded in the playoffs, particularly against the Florida Panthers in the second round. Boston scored two goals or fewer in each of the last five games of this series.

And then, in the offseason, the B’s lost free agent wingers Danton Heinen, James van Riemsdyk and Jake DeBrusk. These three players scored a combined 47 goals last season, which is no small number. The addition of top-six center Elias Lindholm will improve the offense in many ways (more on that below), but there is a noticeable lack of quality offensive talent on this roster.

Can the Bruins generate more 5-on-5 offense? That is the key question. According to Natural Stat Trick, this team ranked 28th in shot attempts, 23rd in shots on net, and 24th in scoring chances at 5-on-5 last season.

The power play is another area that needs improvement. The B’s ranked 29th out of 32 teams with a 16.1 power play percentage over the final 33 games of the regular season. The Bruins’ power play was abysmal in Round 2 against the Panthers, with just one goal on 16 opportunities.

The Bruins also need Brad Marchand to continue playing like one of the best left wings in the world, but he underwent three surgeries in the offseason. Last season he ranked second on the team in goals and assists. If he starts slow, who other than David Pastrnak will be on offense?

Pastrnak led the Bruins with 18 goals, 25 assists and 43 points last season. It’s not ideal for a team to rely so heavily on a player to drive the offense at such a high level.

The argument for this: Roster is better suited for playoff hockey

The Bruins could do worse in the regular season but do better in the playoffs, and that’s because this roster – at least compared to some recent iterations – is better suited to withstand the physical and mental challenges of playoff hockey.

According to Elite Prospects, the Bruins have the largest roster (average height 6-foot-2 or 189.65 cm) and heaviest roster (average weight 209 pounds) in the league.

The blue line in particular is full of tall, heavy and physical players who can also skate well. The addition of Nikita Zadorov, who plays an intimidating style of hockey, gives the Bruins more physicality on defense than last season.

If Charlie McAvoy is technically your shortest defender, you have a big blue line.

• Charlie McAvoy: 6-foot-1, 209 pounds

• Nikita Zadorov: 6-foot-6, 248 pounds

• Brandon Carlo: 6-foot-5, 217 pounds

• Hampus Lindholm: 6-foot-4, 224 pounds

• Bricklayer Lohrei: 6-foot-5, 211 pounds

• Andrew Peeke: 6-foot-3, 214 pounds

• Parker Wotherspoon: 6-foot-1, 195 pounds

“Our back end is great and they have some strength, which I think bodes well for the playoffs,” Bruins president Cam Neely said at a Sept. 30 press conference. “I mean, you have to make the playoffs, but I think we’re in a little stronger position for the playoffs.”

The case against: Road through the East is very difficult

The Atlantic Division is one of the most competitive in the league. There’s a good chance the Bruins will have to beat two of the Panthers, the Leafs and Lightning, to get to the Eastern Conference finals, where they would then likely have to play the Rangers, Hurricanes or Devils – assuming they even make it far .

It would be hard enough to get past the Panthers. And the Leafs, despite their long history of playoff failures against the Bruins, are still a very tough opponent. The Leafs could have easily won last year’s first-round series after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit despite superstar forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander both missing multiple games.

There is never an easy path to the Stanley Cup Final. The long stretch of the postseason is difficult in itself, regardless of the opponents you face. But the path from the Atlantic Division to the Cup Final is probably the most difficult in the league. So even if the Bruins are one of the best four or five teams in the sport, they might not advance past the second round.

The argument for this: Elias Lindholm has a positive influence on so many areas

The addition of Lindholm is huge for the Bruins.

First, it allows multiple players to step into roles in which they are better suited to succeed. For example, Charlie Coyle can now play as a second-line center instead of a first-line center. Pavel Zacha can switch from the center to the wing, where he enjoyed many successes in the 2022/23 season.

Lindholm will also be a big help on the power play. He is characterized by the bumper position, where he can fire quick shots or make a clever pass to an open teammate.

“(The power play) tapered off in the second half of last year,” head coach Jim Montgomery said in a Sept. 18 press conference. “I think with the additions we’ve made, you know, having Elias Lindholm as another trigger man wherever he plays. We think it’s the bumper, but that may not be the case.”

“But he just gives you another really smart hockey player who makes a lot of plays. This should lead to more faceoff wins, better zone play and better fielding. So all three facets of your power play should be improved and should lead to more consistency.”

The 28-year-old veteran is also one of the best bully centers in the league. The Bruins ranked 21st in faceoff win percentage last season after ranking second the year before with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. That’s a steep decline, and Lindholm will help the Bruins climb back up these rankings.

Lindholm won 56.4 percent of all faceoffs last season, including 59.5 percent of his faceoffs in the offensive zone, 57.5 percent of his faceoffs in the defensive zone and 61.7 percent of his faceoffs on the power play. If there’s an important tie late in the game, expect Lindholm to make it.

Lindholm is also capable of scoring goals. He’s not just a playmaker in the center. He should be able to score 25-35 goals if he plays a full season with Zacha and Pastrnak on the front line.

Lindholm is also a Selke Trophy-caliber defensive player. He almost won the award in 2021-22, but Patrice Bergeron received more votes. Lindholm has actually drawn some comparisons to Bergeron with his two-way game. He is an intelligent, responsible player with excellent 200-foot ability.

The case against: Questions remain about the Bruins’ defense

The Bruins were saved too often by their goaltenders last season. That probably won’t happen as often this year because the Bruins no longer have the luxury of playing a goalie of Vezina’s caliber every night. Ullmark is gone and while Swayman should be great, Korpisalo is a real wild card.

According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5 play last season, Boston ranked 24th in shot attempts allowed, 18th in shots on goal allowed, 25th in scoring chances allowed and 27th in shots allowed Goal scoring opportunities. That’s a below-average defense, but it didn’t matter much as Ullmark and Swayman allowed just 80 goals (eight fewer at 5-on-5) and posted the fifth-best 5-on-5 save percentage (.927).

The Bruins need to make improvements defensively to be successful in the playoffs. More specifically, they need to be better at defending the low spot. Boston allowed 19 dangerous goals (all situations) in 13 playoff games last season.