FanNation

Boston's line-up for next season

LW Lucic------he's a 6'4 220 pound power-forward in the making. He made the team this year and made an impact right off the bat. He's not afraid to drop the gloves and delivers huge hits to inspire the team. My predictions for his stats 80GP 20G-25A-45PTS 100PIM He's 19 years old.

LW Sturm------He has speed to burn and plays well with Bergeron and Krejci. He's one of Bostons legit finishers. He's also a threat on the PK and the PP. My predictions for next year 82G 30G-30A-60PTS. 10PPG 4SHG. He is 29 years old.

LW Wheeler---He's a 6'4 220 pound winger that is explosive on the puck and he can handle and shoot the puck on the fly. He has also played with Kessel in Minnesota. Bonus. He can play with Krejci and Kessel on the 3rd line. My predictions 80GP 17G-25A-42PTS

LW Thornton-----used as an enforcer. He drops the gloves when he has to. He knows his role. Played surprisingly well with Sobotka and Reich this season on the 4th line. They have developed chemistry this season and there's no reason as to why that shouldnt happen again. My predictions 70GP 3G-10A-13PTS. He's 30 years old.

RW Ryder--------He's a one dimensional player. The coach will guide him this season to compete on D. He's also coming off a poor statistical season (14 goals). He got rewarded with a fat 12 million 3 year contract. With him playing with Savard,he will post 35+ goals. He will also see alot of PP time. My predictions 82GP 37G-24A-61PTS 15PPG. He's 28 years old.

RW Kobasew------He had a career year this season. He's also a streaky player. He has the wheels to keep up with Bergeron for next season. He's a threat on the PP and the PK units. I expect his career to continue rising.My predictions 80GP 30G-20A-50PTS He is 26 years old.

RW Kessel------He's probably Bostons most dynamic player. He is Bostons fastest skater and can handle the puck and shoot on the fly. He played extremely well with Savard when they were put on the same line.(not enough IM0). He learned a good lesson by getting benched in the playoffs and has learned to compete on every shift. He's a streaky player. This will be his 3rd NHL campaign and many experts consider this year to be a break-out season. I expect that as well. My predictions 75GP 35G-35A-70PTS. He's 21 years old.

RW Reich------another one of Bostons enforcers. He knows his role. the only good thing i can say about him is he has chemistry playing with Thornton and Sobotka. My predictions. 65GP 3G-5A-8PTS 90PIM.

Our spare forward:

Schaefer-------He's a 2 way winger that couldnt gel with our forwards last year for some reason. I think he still has some upside. He needs to redeem himself. He's also playing for a contract. He should be our insurance policy.

PLAYERS THAT NEED TO GO:

RW Murray------has been regularly getting injured as the years have been advancing.I hope the GM buys him out. He's 35 years old. We can either waive him (hoping someone will take him for his full salary. That would be very good for the franchise if that happens.Or hope nobody takes him and we still pay him out his full salary to play with our AHL club for a while then we can bring him up and MOST LIKELY someone will take him at half price). Or we can TRY to trade him.

LW Axelsson----he's a player that excels in the defensive aspect of the game,but he cant handle hard passes on the fly and he cant deliver hard passes on the fly as well. With the youngsters coming up,players have got to go. He's of no use to us any more. I also think there's a market for him. I believe we can trade him.

D Hnidy----he's a defensive d-man that coughs up the puck at the wrong times and he takes stupid penalty after stupid penatly. Bad,bad trade for us.

Boston's strength is at center.

C Savard--------He's competing with Kessel for the most dynamic player award. This guy is shifty. He has a laser for a pass. I would rank him in the top 10 in the best passer category. He's in the top 3 in assists in the last 3 seasons. Since Boston has signed him,i am one happy dude. Thornton who? He has also learned about the defensive aspect of the game playing under Julien. He is the real deal. He competes every shift. He will take a hit to deliver a pass to set up a scoring chance. My predictions 78GP 20G-70A-90PTS 50PPPTS. He is 30 years old.

C Bergeron-------Bostons future captain and Bostons best young player. He got hit from behind this year on an unfortunate play. He has progressed all season and theres no reason as to why he shouldnt be 100% for next season. He's our clutch player. He has a flair for the dramatic. He'll drive to the net when there's 2 players in his way and he'll come away with a good scoring chance. He has the ba--lls to do that. (sorry Kessel..no offence..hahaha). My predictions 80GP 30G-50A-80PTS 15PPG. He is 23 years old.

C Krejci-------showed the poise of a veteran under pressure. He flat-out shined on the top line when Savard went down to injury. He will someday be a point per game player. Most likely in 3-4 seasons considering he's playing behind Savard and Bergeron, That's a shame. I wouldnt doubt it if a few the GM's come calling about him. He is Bostons future. Barring any crazy offer sheets. He is a play-maker extrodinaire. My predictions 82GP 15G-40A-55PTS. He is 23 years old.

C Sobotka-----played well when given the chance. He throws the body without getting caught out of position. He picks his spots well. He's a young competitor. He doesnt take any shifts off. He's the heart and soul of the 4th line. He's also a play-maker. My predictions 77GP 7G-20A-27PTS. He is 20 years old.

The Defense.

Chara------arguably the most physical d-man in the NHL. He loves to throw the body with authority. He scores. He passes. He fights...or rather destroys players. He had a career year this season 17G-34A-51PTS 9PPG and earned himself a Norris nomination and a 2nd team all-star nod. He's Bostons heart and soul. He's a good leader to boot. He demands accountability in the dressing room and on the ice. My predictions 77GP 20G-35A-55PTS 10PPG 100PIM. He is 31 years old.

Wideman----played well with Chara. He is a finesse d-man. He also scored 13 goals this season. He's also learning the d-man position better. He's a threat on the PP(9PPG).My predictions  82GP 14G-30A-44PTS 8PPG.He is 25 years old.

Stuart-----plays well defensively. Rarely gets caught out of position. He's one of our shut-down d-men.My predictions 82GP 4G-7A-11PTS.He is 24 years old.

Ward------He's our war-horse. He's a defensive d-man. He also scored 3 game winning goals this season. 2 against the Flyers in OT. He will sacrifice his body time and time again. He is our top shot blocker. My predictions 65GP 4G-15A-19PTS. He is 35 years old.

Ference----he's a smallish d-man that gets caught out of position regularly and gets knocked off the puck easily. I would rather trade him,but i will give him one more season to prove himself. My predictions 78GP 5G-20A-25PTS. He is 29 years old.

Lashoff-------he will earn himself a job next season.(i hope. He's being groomed anyway). He is an offensive defenceman. My predictions 80GP 5G-10A-15PTS. He is 21 years old.

The 7th d-man. Alberts-------he takes himself out position to deliver crushing body checks. He is a liability.

 The Goalies.

Thomas-------he had an excellent year this season. He's a competitor who HATES to lose. He compiled a .921% save percentage this season in 55 games. Only 3 goalies posted better save percentages than him. He can get white hot. He will let in 10 goals over 7 games. He can also go on a streak where he gives up 15 goals over 3 games. I dont think he can handle the #1 role. He's still an asset. I would split the duties with Manny 41-41. Keep the games played low and the save percentage sky high. My predictions 41GP 26W .927% 2.22 G.A.A. He is 34 years old.

Fernandez-------got injured almost right off the cuff. He has since been cleared to play. I expect alot out of him next season. He's also playing for a contract. My predictions 41 GP 20W .918% 2.55 G.A.A. He is 34 years old.

The up and comer if one of the main guys goes down:

Rask-------he struggled in his North American debut. He's a 6'3 170 pound butter-fly goalie that covers the angles very well. Very technically sound. He needs to beef up and get acclimatized to North American play. One more season playing with Providence will do him good.

Julien is on for another season. I expect the same system and better results. Barring major injuries. Knock on wood. We reached 94 points this season despite racking up 364 man-games lost to injury (3rd most in the entire NHL). There's no reason why we shouldnt rack up 100+ points this up-coming season with a healthy line-up.

Our PP at one point in the season was ranked #5. I expect the PP to stay at that level next year. Our PK sucked and theres only one way to go. Up.

Our lines

Lucic-Savard-Ryder

Sturm-Bergeron-Kobasew

Wheeler-Krejci-Kessel

Reich-Sobotka-Thornton

Chara-Wideman

Ference-Ward

Lashoff-Stuart

We also need a top 6 forward to finish off our scoring chances.(which we got in Ryder). Boston has IMPROVED. They will be better next season.

Boston is on the upside there people. BELIEVE.