Every year, the Boston Bruins hand out the seventh player award. NESN’s 7th Player Award is voted on by the fans and is presented to the player that exceeded expectations throughout the season. It is typically not awarded to the best players, because if it was, David Pastrnak would likely win each season. Although, he did win the award in 2017.
During the 2023-24 season, Trent Frederic was the recipient of the prestigious award. He went on to skate in all 82 games and set a career-high in goals (18) and points (40). Now that a new season is upon us, let’s take a look at some players that could be likely candidates to win it in 2024-25.
Matthew Poitras
Let’s begin with the youth on the roster. Second-year center Matthew Poitras will look to have a bounce-back season. He wasn’t a bad player by any means and he was impactful when he was on the ice. He is a smart player and has tremendous skill and offensive upside to his game. After a slow start and finding his footing, he was able to find the back of the net. He scored five goals and 15 points in 33 games played. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ended his season and the Bruins had to continue without him. However, the 2024-25 season is a new year and a fresh start for Poitras.
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Poitras should be a lock to make the opening night roster. He would give the Bruins tremendous center depth and help build another scoring line. He is a smaller guy and has managed to add size and muscle in the offseason. That’s huge for Poitras, who will look to be stronger on pucks and not get pushed around.
The Bruins are set on the top two lines with Elias Lindholm centering the first line and Charlie Coyle centering the second line. Poitras was a pleasant surprise in his first season and will use last season’s injury as motivation to come back stronger in 2024-25. There is a strong chance that he can surpass the 30-point mark and reach 40 points if healthy. If that is the case, he is the perfect candidate for the 7th Player Award.
Mason Lohrei
The youth movement continues and it lies with the defensive unit. The Bruins moved on from Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort, and have opened themselves up to greener pastures. The pastures lead right to Mason Lohrei. Even with the Bruins signing the big and physical Nikita Zadorov, there is plenty of opportunity for Lohrei to carve out a role.
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