The Boston Bruins’ rookie camp is underway and training camp is set to begin in less than a week. The 2024-25 season is so close, and excitement is picking up. The team is coming off a season that saw them reach the second round of the playoffs after being eliminated in the first round the two previous seasons.
Related: 3 Lessons the Bruins Can Take From 2023-24 Into This Season
The offseason certainly brought changes to the Bruins. Goaltender Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk, who had been on the roster for seven seasons, signed elsewhere in free agency while newcomers Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm were brought in.
The start of a new season always brings with it a number of surprises. It wasn’t that long ago that the Bruins took everyone by surprise by establishing themself as the top team in the league in the opening months despite many assuming that would be the season they fell off and didn’t make the playoffs. Going into 2024-25, expectations are pretty high in Boston and they should once again be a playoff team, barring any major injuries.
But at the end of the day, nobody quite knows what is going to happen once the puck drops in October and the regular season officially begins. Still, it’s always fun to try and make some predictions of what should and could happen in the first half of the season before Jan. 1 when the calendar flips to 2025.
Brandon Carlo Will Be on Pace for Career Year in Points
Brandon Carlo was the most impressive defenseman for the Bruins through two rounds of the 2024 Playoffs. He is not someone that always gets a ton of attention. He’s a stay-at-home defenseman, and has never been the biggest point-getter. Much of his great play over the course of his career has gone under the radar in a lot of cases.
But in the playoffs, Carlo really shined last season. He had three goals and an assist in 13 games. He had the most goals out of all defensemen on the team, and tied with Trent Frederic and Brad Marchand. It felt like a breakthrough performance for the 27-year-old as he maintained his excellence in his own zone while managing to contribute more offensively.
Hopefully, that breakthrough from the playoffs can carry into the 2024-25 season. In terms of points, Carlo’s best season came in 2019-20 when he had 19 in 67 games. His best season for goals was in 2021-22…
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