NHL.com released its annual top 20 players at each position heading into the 2024-25 season. The Bruins were well-represented with four players cracking the list.
Centers
No. 1: Connor McDavid
Bruins: None
After years of Patrice Bergeron, an undisputed top-five center, appearing on the top five of lists like this, the Bruins had nobody ranked among the league’s top 20.
A year ago, Elias Lindholm, when he was still with the Calgary Flames, was No. 20 on the list, but his struggles/fit issues after being traded to Vancouver lowered his value. The Bruins paid him like a No. 1 center and are counting on him to rebuild that value.
Goalies
No. 1: Igor Shesterkin
Bruins: Jeremy Swayman
A year ago, coming off his Vezina season, Linus Ullmark was No. 6 on this list. Since being traded to Ottawa, he slid a bit to No. 10. Jeremy Swayman’s postseason performance was enough to land him at No. 4, which won’t hurt his contract negotiation leverage any
NHL.com wrote:
“Swayman was one of the top goalies in the League last season despite not being a full-time starter, having split games with Ullmark. He was 25-10-8 with a 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage and three shutouts in 44 games (43 starts) and is 79-33-15 in his NHL career. The 25-year-old has a 2.34 GAA since entering the NHL in 2020-21, second behind Ullmark (2.32) among goalies to play at least 50 games.”
Wings
No. 1: Nikita Kucherov
Bruins: Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak
Both Bruins forwards dropped a bit from last year’s list. Marchand from 10 to 18 and Pastrnak from No. 4 to 1. Still, Boston is one of four teams with two players ranked.
Marchand, who is headed into a contract season, has stayed close to the top of his game despite losing Bergeron and moving into his mid-30s. From NHL.com:
“The first-year captain for the Bruins, Marchand had 29 goals, the 11th straight season he’s had at least 20. His 67 points ranked second on the team behind David Pastrnak (110). The 36-year-old left wing continued to be a factor on both offense and defense, with three short-handed goals. Since entering the League in 2009-10, Marchand’s 36 short-handed goals rank first in the NHL and his 929 points (401 goals, 528 assists) rank 11th.”
Pastrnak wasn’t quite as dominant in 2023-24 as he’d been a year before but 47 goals and 110 points is still pretty elite. He could benefit from Lindholm’s arrival as well. From NHL.com:
“Pastrnak was seventh in the NHL with 47 goals last season and fifth with 110 points in 82 games, one year after he ranked second in the NHL with 61 goals and tied for third with 113 points. It was the seventh time in the past eight seasons he’s scored at least 34 goals, something accomplished by one other active NHL player (Auston Matthews, eight). He finished eighth in voting for the Hart Trophy and was the right wing on the NHL Second All-Star Team. The 28-year-old averaged 19:56 of ice time per game and led Boston in power-play goals (12), power-play points (35), shots on goal (382) and was second with a plus-23 rating (behind Brandon Carlo, plus-23).”
Defense
No. 1: Cale Makar
Bruins: Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm, who was No. 15 last year, dropped out of the rankings, while McAvoy slipped one spot to No. 7. The Bruins are looking for a bounce-back season from Lindholm as well as steps forward from Mason Lohrei and impact play from Nikita Zadorov around McAvoy. The Bruins young veteran will be counted on for big minutes and production. From NHL.com:
“McAvoy had 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) and led Boston with 24:51 of average ice time in 74 games last season. The 26-year-old also set NHL career highs in hits (159) and blocked shots (159), averaged 3:19 in power-play time and 2:13 in short-handed time per game, one of 11 players in the NHL with at least 3:00 of power-play and 2:00 short-handed time per game.”
