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The Boston Bruins have been, for much of their 100-year history, known as a big and tough team that isn't afraid to throw its weight around all over the ice. The Stanley Cup-winning teams of the 1970s with Bobby Orr and Co. and the Ray Bourque/Cam Neely-led teams in the 1980s epitomized the franchise's "Big Bad Bruins" mantra.
Today's NHL is more focused on skill and speed compared to those previous decades. But even if size and strength aren't the No. 1 objectives when building a roster, those attributes remain very important, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Bruins have lost to a tougher, more physical team in the Florida Panthers each of the last two playoff runs. The Panthers play a fierce style of hockey and often grind their way to hard-fought victories. Sometimes they go over the line, but they're very hard to play against, and that's before you factor in the incredible amount of offensive skill Florida has on its roster.
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Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and his staff went into the offseason and made the roster taller, heavier and meaner. As a result, the Bruins should be a more difficult team to play against. In this way, and others, the roster is better suited for the physical challenges of the postseason than some of the previous iterations.
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How do you measure size and physicality? How does Boston stack up to the rest of the league? Well, consider this: As of Oct. 4, the Bruins are the NHL's second-tallest team as well as the heaviest team, per Elite Prospects.
The Bruins' average height is 189.17 centimeters (6-foot-2), which is just 0.1 centimeters shorter than the Vegas Golden Knights. Boston is the heaviest team with an average weight of 209 pounds, two pounds ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins, Golden Knights and New York Islanders are the only three teams in the top five of both average height and weight.
“I think that’s something (that) stood out to me when I got traded here, how big and heavy everybody is. I fall into that category. It’s definitely different not being one of the biggest guys around. I feel pretty average here," newcomer Mark Kastelic told the media, including MassLive, after a captain's practice on Sept. 5.
“That’s the style of hockey that everybody wants to play here this year, to be big and heavy. I think everyone’s excited for what we have in the room.”
The bottom-six forwards, in particular, are massive. This group, which includes Kastelic, could wreak havoc on the forecheck, in front of the net, along the boards and all of the other tough areas of the ice.
Here's a look at some of the likely bottom-six forwards to begin the season:
- Trent Frederic: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
- Justin Brazeau: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
- Mark Kastelic: 6-foot-4, 226 pounds
- John Beecher: 6-foot-3, 216 pounds
- Max Jones: 6-foot-3, 216 pounds
The blue line is another area with a lot of size. No player is listed under 6-foot-1 and only Parker Wotherspoon weighs less than 200 pounds. Five of the seven players stand at 6-foot-3 or taller.
- 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
- Mason Lohrei: 6-foot-5, 211 pounds
- Andrew Peeke: 6-foot-3, 214 pounds
- Parker Wotherspoon: 6-foot-1, 195 pounds
"Our back end is big, and they've got some beef to them, which I think bodes well in the playoffs," Bruins president Cam Neely said at a press conference Monday. "I mean, you got to get to the playoffs, but I think we're built a little bit stronger for the playoffs.”
The addition of Nikita Zadorov in free agency adds plenty of physicality to this blue line. The Russian defenseman is an imposing figure on the ice and isn't afraid to throw his weight around in front of the net. He dishes out huge hits and will throw his body in front of shots to prevent pucks from getting to the net. He thrives on chaos in the defensive zone. There will be plenty of games where Zadorov sets a physical tone for the entire team.
"He's big. He's mean. He's angry. He has skill. He has all the things I think you need," Charlie McAvoy told reporters after an early-September captain's practice when asked about Zadorov. "You have to know when he's on the ice. I think that's someone you really want to have on your team."
This blue line isn't just big and physical. There's plenty of skill in this group, and all of them can skate. That last part is a must in today's NHL.
"I think any time you can have a defense that's big but also can skate -- I think that's our biggest strength. We have guys that can really move out there," Hampus Lindholm told reporters on Sept. 24.
"I think if you want to be good in this league as a d-man, you have to be mobile and good on your skates. Luckily, we have a lot of strength on our defensive corps right now."
The Bruins should have plenty of toughness this season. They have lots of players who can fight, dish out massive hits, block shots, kill penalties and clear traffic from the front of the net.
The real question is whether this team has enough offensive firepower to make a deep postseason run. The Bruins finished 13th in goals scored last season, but that scoring was absent at times during the playoffs. For example, the B's scored two or fewer goals in each of the last five games of their second-round series versus the Panthers.
If the Bruins can combine more consistent scoring with their increased toughness, they will be a very formidable team in the playoffs with a real chance to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
