The Athletic - Boston Fluto: Phew! Bruins make out big in likely divisional realignment

[Fenway]

The B's should easily be in the top 4 in this COVID division

Buffalo Sabres - Might be better but
New Jersey Devils - nope
New York Islanders - B's match up well
New York Rangers - 8 games with them, can't wait
Philadelphia Flyers - a dog fight
Pittsburgh Penguins - getting older
Washington Capitals - Braden Holtby is in Vancouver



Phew! Bruins make out big in likely divisional realignment

Under normal circumstances, the Bruins would have had to do regular battle with the defending Stanley Cup champions. They would have endured a similar number of head butts against Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly, who are no longer the kids they used to shove aside in high-pressure situations. The reloading Canadiens, stronger now with Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli and Jake Allen, always get up for their lifelong rivals.

In the new 2020-21 season, according to a likely, but not final, realignment plan reported by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Tampa Bay will be in a centralized division. Toronto will be with its six Canadian counterparts. Ditto for Montreal.

The Bruins are not complaining. That ridiculous Tampa roster (Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh) will be free to beat up on Detroit and Chicago all year.

The Bruins’ division still contains some longtime iron in Washington and Pittsburgh. Up-and-comers like Philadelphia and the Rangers will not be easy outs. Every year, we think the Sabres can’t be worse than they were the previous season.

But as it stands now, realignment would unquestionably make the march to the playoffs a bit easier for the Bruins.

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[Jean_Jacket41]

Bruins team to beat in this new division.

 

[Aeroforce]

John Scott disagrees. I do, too.

 

[roflstomper]

Tampa outside our division alone is a win. Never mind we get rid of Toronto and Montreal who always give us a ton of trouble. No excuse to not be in the ECF this year.

 

[aguineapig]

Me and the Boys ain't scared, put us in any division what's there to be scared of, why should I be afraid, I'm not a baby.

 

[SPLBRUIN]

Bruins team to beat in this new division.

If we are missing Marchand and Pastrnak for a significant period in a shortened season we are in a fight to make the playoffs in a very tough division.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Yeah I don't see it.

Holtby being gone in Washington actually makes them better.

The Sabres are a team I love to take a big step forward. I predict playoffs for them.

The Penguins are a team you can never count out.

The Flyers are a cinch to make it. Looking good and on the rise.

The Rangers may not be there yet, but who can deny the insane amount of young talent on that team? We match up terribly against them.

The Islanders I don't like as much as the Bruins, but they gave the Lightning a bigger challenge than we managed to in the playoffs this year. And made it further.

The Devils are the only team I see without a shot.

I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight to get into the post-season in this division. Bruins can do it, but a cakewalk this is anything but.

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

Yeah I don't see it.

Holtby being gone in Washington actually makes them better.

The Sabres are a team I love to take a big step forward. I predict playoffs for them.

The Penguins are a team you can never count out.

The Flyers are a cinch to make it. Looking good and on the rise.

The Rangers may not be there yet, but who can deny the insane amount of young talent on that team? We match up terribly against them.

The Islanders I don't like as much as the Bruins, but they gave the Lightning a bigger challenge than we managed to in the playoffs this year. And made it further.

The Devils are the only team I see without a shot.

I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight to get into the post-season in this division. Bruins can do it, but a cakewalk this is anything but.

I agree but Holtby being gone might make them better against all the other teams but not the Bruins . Holtby was in there heads for some reason and he had a ton of confidence against the Bruins . The games against Washington should at least be competitive now not automatic losses .

 

[Jean_Jacket41]

If we are missing Marchand and Pastrnak for a significant period in a shortened season we are in a fight to make the playoffs in a very tough division.

The question is, who will be the 3 other teams to make the playoffs with the Bruins in this division?

Bos
Wsh
Phi
Pit
NYI
NYR
Buf
NJ

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Tight race from the day one.

Less games - every game counts

 

[BAD BOY]

Tight race from the day one.

Less games - every game counts

Every game is meaningful. I’m sure most disagree and that’s ok . I will take my chances on this new realignment division with Tampa and Toronto, and improved Montreal gone. That’s hoping 63-88 are back soon. But let’s not forget we have the best 1-2 punch goaltending in that division.

 

[CharaBadSenyshynGawd]

It’s weird how Bruins fans think the team stinks but literally everyone else in the hockey world disagrees

 

[BruinDust]

Yeah I don't see it.

Holtby being gone in Washington actually makes them better.

The Sabres are a team I love to take a big step forward. I predict playoffs for them.

The Penguins are a team you can never count out.

The Flyers are a cinch to make it. Looking good and on the rise.

The Rangers may not be there yet, but who can deny the insane amount of young talent on that team? We match up terribly against them.

The Islanders I don't like as much as the Bruins, but they gave the Lightning a bigger challenge than we managed to in the playoffs this year. And made it further.

The Devils are the only team I see without a shot.

I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight to get into the post-season in this division. Bruins can do it, but a cakewalk this is anything but.

Against the Bruins I wholeheartedly disagree. Holtby has been in their heads for years. He rarely, rarely has a average or below game against Boston. But they'll get a boost from Laviolette which makes them dangerous in the short term and I'd be surprised if they don't make the playoffs.

But otherwise I see it pretty much how you do. I don't think it can be discounted that in a shorten season with the uncertainty in the forwards lines 2-4 and the question marks on D, a weak start and it could be curtains quickly. Bruins don't have the luxury to sort things out as much as you would normally have in a 82- game season.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Against the Bruins I wholeheartedly disagree. Holtby has been in their heads for years. He rarely, rarely has a average or below game against Boston. But they'll get a boost from Laviolette which makes them dangerous in the short term and I'd be surprised if they don't make the playoffs.

But otherwise I see it pretty much how you do. I don't think it can be discounted that in a shorten season with the uncertainty in the forwards lines 2-4 and the question marks on D, a weak start and it could be curtains quickly. Bruins don't have the luxury to sort things out as much as you would normally have in a 82- game season.

Just piggybacking off this post to remember the weak start last season that had the Bruins in a top 10 draft spot. If that happens this year, guarantee that finish.

 

[LSCII]

It’s weird how Bruins fans think the team stinks but literally everyone else in the hockey world disagrees

Not really. That's fandom in a nutshell. We all watch and follow this team so closely that while the roster is talented, we can also see the holes they have and we perceive them to be probably be a larger problem than they really are. It's just part of the fun of being a diehard. Since we know our team so well, and are not nearly as intimate with the issues for the other teams, it's all too easy to see the areas that may be challenging for the Bruins, while not realizing the trouble the Bruins pose to the rest of those teams.

 

[Kalus]

Yeah I don't see it.

Holtby being gone in Washington actually makes them better.

The Sabres are a team I love to take a big step forward. I predict playoffs for them.

The Penguins are a team you can never count out.

The Flyers are a cinch to make it. Looking good and on the rise.

The Rangers may not be there yet, but who can deny the insane amount of young talent on that team? We match up terribly against them.

The Islanders I don't like as much as the Bruins, but they gave the Lightning a bigger challenge than we managed to in the playoffs this year. And made it further.

The Devils are the only team I see without a shot.

I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight to get into the post-season in this division. Bruins can do it, but a cakewalk this is anything but.

Yes, and on the other side, no tomato cans like Florida, Ottawa, and Detroit.

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Yeah, all teams will start the season knowing that every game counts.

No cruise control October and November games.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Holtby being gone in Washington actually makes them better. The Sabres are a team I love to take a big step forward. I predict playoffs for them. The Penguins are a team you can never count out.
The Flyers are a cinch to make it. Looking good and on the rise.
The Rangers may not be there yet, but who can deny the insane amount of young talent on that team? We match up terribly against them.

The Islanders I don't like as much as the Bruins, but they gave the Lightning a bigger challenge than we managed to in the playoffs this year. And made it further.

The Devils are the only team I see without a shot.

I think it's gonna be an absolute dogfight to get into the post-season in this division. Bruins can do it, but a cakewalk this is anything but.

Though the Bruins were 3-0 against the Rangers last season.

More than anything else, I think this very competitive schedule will be a real test for Bruce Cassidy.

 

[BruinsBtn]

I think this is a brutally tough division to make the playoffs and there are no easy matchups if/when the Bruins make it.

The only saving grace is that Tampa Bay isn't in it. That said, Pittsburgh is going to be as good as Tampa this year, IMO. That was a great team last year and got better in the offseason.

Can we move the Bruins to Canada for a year?

 

[Absurdity]

Biggest question mark will be the defense. With potentially no Chara and without any other additions, the young Bruins defense will be up against more experienced and heavier teams. If the Bruins went into next season with this defense and played in same division as least years and years previous, I think the Bruins would have matched up better. Right now, their defense could be their Achilles heel.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Against the Bruins I wholeheartedly disagree. Holtby has been in their heads for years. He rarely, rarely has a average or below game against Boston. But they'll get a boost from Laviolette which makes them dangerous in the short term and I'd be surprised if they don't make the playoffs.

But otherwise I see it pretty much how you do. I don't think it can be discounted that in a shorten season with the uncertainty in the forwards lines 2-4 and the question marks on D, a weak start and it could be curtains quickly. Bruins don't have the luxury to sort things out as much as you would normally have in a 82- game season.

Against the Bruins? Holtby being gone MAY be a net positive. Although we don't quite know yet, it seems likely.

Against everyone else however...

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Though the Bruins were 3-0 against the Rangers last season.

More than anything else, I think this very competitive schedule will be a real test for Bruce Cassidy.

I'm only speaking in terms of the Bs seeming to really struggle against those young, big talent, up-tempo teams. I don't like the matchup for eight games against that club.

But you could be right. The Bruins could steam roll them.

Instead of a cinch, I see the Bruins as being in the mix with five other teams for four spots. The opposite of take of this article. This is one tough division.

 

[McGarnagle]

It’s weird how Bruins fans think the team stinks but literally everyone else in the hockey world disagrees

Literally the opposite of the Toronto fanbase

 

[BruinDust]

Against the Bruins? Holtby being gone MAY be a net positive. Although we don't quite know yet, it seems likely.

Against everyone else however...

I do have to ask, why do you want to see the Sabres take a step forward and improve.?

I'm enjoying their league-leading playoff drought. Watching a long-term divisional rival like Buffalo implode year after year makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I hope Jack and Taylor are at each others throats like the little %^&&%%^&& both of them are and fracture their dressing room into Team Eichel and Team Hall. Both of them are detestable ego-maniacs as far as I'm concerned, they deserve each other.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

I do have to ask, why do you want to see the Sabres take a step forward and improve.?

I'm enjoying their league-leading playoff drought. Watching a long-term divisional rival like Buffalo implode year after year makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. I hope Jack and Taylor are at each others throats like the little %^&&%%^&& both of them are and fracture their dressing room into Team Eichel and Team Hall. Both of them are detestable ego-maniacs as far as I'm concerned, they deserve each other.

Oh I don't "want” the Sabres to do anything (even if you and I don’t exactly share the same opinion of Jack Eichel... or Hall for that matter). I love them to take a big step forward the same way I would “love the under” in a football game bet.