By: Chris Nosek

David Pastrnak

Grade: A+

It’s hard to argue any other grade for the 28-year-old Czech forward. Despite a slow start to his season, Pastrnak still posted another 100+ point season while scoring over 40 goals. He carried the offense by contributing to almost 48% of the teams goals scored and he took on the majority of the leadership burden after the team traded Marchand, Carlo, and Coyle. He carried it extremely well and was one of the best players in the league. No other grade would fit.

Pavel Zacha

Grade: B-

You definitely wanted more from Zacha this season. However, given the struggles of the team he was one of the forwards who saw a lot of varying line mates. He played with 11 different line mates over the course of the season and was used in 11 different combinations with those teammates. A 10-year veteran of the NHL should be able to make adjustments to having different line mates, but to a point. He still had 47 points and was solid on faceoffs. Overall while he left you wanting more, he didn’t play poorly.

Elias Lindholm

Grade: C+

It was a rough start to his 7-year contract as Lindholm got injured during training camp and suffered through a back injury for most of the season. Despite the injury, he still played all 82 games for the second time of his career. His two-way game was decent and he was solid in the faceoff dot, but he definitely left you wanting more from his offense. His offense finally started to come late in the season, when a line with Geekie and Pastrnak was revisited. If his injury hampered his game so significantly, why didn’t he spend some time on injured reserve? He’s poised for a bounce back season next year, but this year was certainly not his best and one everyone wants to move on from.

John Beecher

Grade: C-

I’ll open the door to say that this grade MIGHT be a little unfair because it came out after the season that Beecher was playing injured and would need a surgery in the offseason. However, he played in 26 more games than last season and only scored one more point. His goals and assists were all but swapped, he was bit worse in the faceoff dot, and he only took six more shots than during his entire 2023-24 campaign. He turned the puck over a significantly higher amount and deserved more time on the 9th floor than he got. Next season will be critical for him to prove that this setback season was due to the injury.

Morgan Geekie

Grade: A-

Geekie topped his career season from last year as he went off for 33 goals and 24 assists. His average time on ice also went up to 16:55 minutes per game. He was jostled around the lineup, but ultimately worked his way to the opposite wing to David Pastrnak and his offense took off tremendously. The biggest knock that has taken him down from an A or A+ rating is how slow he started the season. He had an opportunity from the moment camp started, but, like everyone else, he took until part way into the season when he finally found his groove.

Cole Koepke

Grade: A-

Unlike most on the team, Koepke was one of the few Bruins who came out of training camp and was playing very well. He didn’t start finding his scoring touch until October, but while he was with Mark Kastelic and John Beecher the Bruins had one of the best lines in hockey – and they were the fourth line. After October, his scoring fell off until a four point month in March. The offense for a fourth liner like Koepke is always a bonus, so he doesn’t get penalized too much for those ups and downs , especially given how consistent he was on the forecheck and the compete level he brought to every game. He had 26 games of experience entering the season, but you wouldn’t have known that watching him this season.

*Charlie Coyle

Grade: C+

Coyle had a down season just like so many others. After having success with Trent Frederic last season, the chemistry just didn’t seem to be there this year. He was clearly affected by Jim Montgomery’s line juggling early on in the season and he just never found his game this year. He still brought strong leadership and was a professional all season.

*Coyle was traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline. The return for Coyle was great. While it always sucks to see someone like Coyle leave your organization, the return should have a positive impact on the organization going forward.

*Brad Marchand

Grade: C+

Overall Brad’s game wasn’t terrible this season, but it certainly appeared that his age and injuries are starting to catch up to him and affect his game. At the start of the season Marchand talked at great lengths about how the youngest players could make the team, but that they needed to “grow and be better.” Gayle Trioani of NESH wrote about it at length HERE, but the question remains as to how much influence these comments had in roster and lineup decisions. He had a decline in his abilities meanwhile questions started to arise about his leadership abilities especially given the team’s lack of cohesion during the season and lack of being prepared to start games on time.

*Marchand was traded to the Panthers at the trade deadline, and it was out of respect for what he’s meant to the Bruins’ organization that Don Sweeney targeted deals with teams for whom Marchand wanted to play for. Given the limited number of teams and the injuries that were limiting him, the return for Marchand was a bit lower than most fans would have liked. It’s a deal like this that earns Sweeney so much respect around the league from teams, players, and agents.

Mark Kastelic

Grade: A

Many considered Kastelic to be a “throw-in” as part of the return for Linus Ullmark. Instead, he proved to be critical from day one. He anchored a fourth line that was no only the best line on the Bruins, but one of the best lines in the league for the first few weeks of the season. He earned a career high for time on ice and topped his career highs in points and assists. Kastelic showed he could jump up higher in the lineup and hold his own if you needed him to. Unfortunately injuries kept him to only 61 games this season. We can only hope that there are no long-term lingering symptoms from the concussion we learned of on break-up day.

*Justin Brazeau

Grade: D

Last season Brazeau burst onto the scene and quickly became a fan favorite. When he first started on the roster, there was some promise to his game, be was never a strong skater. The hope was he’d work on his deficiencies and be better this season. Neither of which happened. This season, Brazeau was not strong along the boards and couldn’t stop falling on the ice. The fact that he lost even more ice time after joining the Wild should show exactly how rough his season was.

* Brazeau was traded to the Minnesota Wild just days before the trade deadline and even with them, saw a massive lack of production. While he saw ice time in the playoffs, he totaled 25 games for the Wild and only posted 1 goal with 3 assists.

*Trent Frederic

Grade: C-

Frederic clearly suffered from injuries this season, as his production regressed back to where it was back in 2021-22. He still had more time on ice this season than he did then, making the production significantly lower. Out of training he and Coyle showed much lower chemistry than last season and after Montgomery was fired he too seemed to have one foot out the door.

*Frederic was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, with Max Jones, just before the trade deadline despite being injured at the time. The return was Max Wanner and two draft picks. Frederic only played one regular season game for the Oilers and a couple in the post season. Overall though, he’s seen a significant decline in his playing time since playing in Boston.

Matthew Poitras

Grade: A+

If we look at just his time in Boston, Poitras’s grade would be much lower. His production at the NHL level does not match the abilities he has, but some of that is on who he is playing with. It’s clear that he should have been in Providence last season, but the OHL rules made that not an option so he had to go this season. This move will pay off in spades for him as his game grew significantly in the AHL this year. He produced at almost a point-per-game pace and has found a new level of physicality to his game. His abilities are maturing and he will be able to make a significant impact at the NHL level very soon.

Vinni Lettieri

Grade: B

The 29-year-old only spent 26 games in Boston, but played 47 down in Providence. Most of his NHL games came post-trade deadline as the team was trying to finish up the regular season. He was serviceable in third and fourth line role while down in Providence he played higher in the lineup and produced more scoring. He showed he can be a valuable player who can be called up to fill in if injuries occur, but you’re likely always going to be left wanting more from him.

Casey Mittelstadt

Grade: C

Mittelstadt only played 18 games for the Bruins as he brought in at the trade deadline. He certainly fit in better with Boston than he did in Colorado, but the question is more about his long-term with the team. He didn’t cost the team down the stretch, and showed an ability to facilitate from the middle. The 26-year-old is under contract for next season, but he still needs to figure out exactly what he is at the NHL level and how he might fit into the Boston Bruins lineup going forward.

Jakub Lauko

Grade: A

Lauko alone made trading Justin Brazeau to the Wild worth it. Lauko has always enjoyed being a Bruin and brings tons of positivity and charisma to the locker room. He brings speed and physicality to the lineup and isn’t afraid to drop the mitts and fight. His offensive stats aren’t ever going to lead the team, but everything he brings to the table is solid and he’s reliable.

Marat Khusnutdinov

Grade: C+

Another player who came over from Minnesota, Khusnutdinov became a favorite of many fans. He stood out because of his speed and forechecking. The adrenaline bump from joining a new team helped him post 5 points over his 18 games, but after that adrenaline wore off there wasn’t much left. Despite getting more ice time in Boston he still had a 13 games stretch without a goal. Yes, his game showed some promise and there is still more he could probably bring to Boston. He just didn’t show as much as he could have after the adrenaline wore off.

Oliver Wahlstrom

Grade: B

Wahlstrom was picked up off of waivers when the New York Islanders were trying to get him to Bridgeport. He was 27 games in with the Islanders and only had 4 points. He played 35 games with the Bruins organization, of which 16 of them were in Boston. His game didn’t take off until he got to Providence and he started to score and looked great with Matthew Poitras. As a 24-year-old, his game is still young and there’s still room for him to grow.

Patrick Brown

Grade: A

Many fans are going to look at Brown’s lone point over 15 games and rip into this grade. To those folks I would say, you don’t understand his role on this team. For the NHL group, he’s a last minute call up who can fill in on your fourth line. Being the veteran he his, he is able to take a last minute flight to help the team on the road and still bring a consistent level of play – which is a massive wild card for younger players. In Providence he is a veteran leader who, this season, helped Fabian Lysell mature both on and off the ice. There’s a reason he was extended before the end of the league year, despite the grumbling from fans, he is very good in this role and it showed this year.

Fabian Lysell

Grade: B+

It often seems lost on folks that Lysell is only 22-years-old. Admittedly, his offensive game took a small step backward this season, but it was at the expense of the rest of his game growing. He spent a lot of his time in Providence on the same line as Patrick Brown and his play selection has improved a lot. His skating abilities are still fairly elite and when he got some NHL time in April he was able to show his abilities to make plays. The amount of growth in Lasell, both on and off the ice was incredible and very promising for the future.

*Marc McLaughlin

Grade: B-

The native of North Billerica became a fan favorite when he first joined the Bruins. Unfortunately, his offensive game never really came around. He’s still been solid in a bottom-6 role in Providence and was serviceable when he played in Boston. He hasn’t shown a lot of growth in his game for a couple seasons, but he’s consistently been a reliable player. He doesn’t cost your team games, but he doesn’t do much to stand out.

*McLaughlin was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Daniil Misyul. The move made sense because the Bruins needed more depth on their blueline while the Devils needed more forward depth in their organization.

**Tyler Johnson

Grade: D

This was not a great season for Johnson. He played very well in training camp, but the team couldn’t get him signed right away because of cap restraints. He didn’t end up joining the team until November. He was only able to get two points over his nine games with Boston and the chemistry from training camp just wasn’t there.

**Johnson was put on waivers on December 19th and went unclaimed. Instead of reporting to Providence, his contract was terminated and he remained unsigned.

*Max Jones

Grade: C+

Jones didn’t make the team out of camp and only got into 7 games with the Bruins. He played well in Providence, but was never able to work his way ahead of others in the organization to get back to the NHL. He didn’t hurt the team, but didn’t help himself either. He was injured in camp, but too many other players looked better than Jones did, even in Providence.

*Jones was part of the trade that sent Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers. He got a little more time in the NHL with Edmonton, but his scoring never caught on. He fits in as a fourth liner, but he needs to embrace that role a little more.

Fraser Minten

Grade: A

Minten was acquired from the Maple Leafs organization when Sweeney sent them Brandon Carlo. His play in Providence was great, but when he got called up to Boston he showed just how strong his two-way game really is. He stuck in Boston through the end of the year and never looked out of place.

Georgii Merkulov

Grade: B+

The Russian forward had another solid season in Providence and many fans were clamoring for him to see more time in Boston. During the short time he did see in Boston, the holes in his game still showed through. He may have hit his ceiling as a player, but next season he will definitely have a chance to make the team in camp if he is here. He needs to take advantage of that opportunity, but he could have pushed for a spot more this season as well and failed to earn it. Overall it was still a great season for him in Providence, but he needs to elevate a little more to remain in Boston.

Riley Tufte

Grade: B+

Tufte had a very solid year as he played 58 games for the Providence Bruins. During his brief stint in Boston, which was a total of 6 games, he was physical and didn’t cost the team. He played almost 10 minutes per night, and while it would have been nice to see a little more offense from him, he could stick in the NHL as a third liner with where his game is already. Given his age, he definitely helped himself get another deal with someone next season – I’m not sure it’s with Boston though.

Jeffrey Viel

Grade: B-

Viel and Tufte had very similar seasons overall, but Viel likely won’t be much more than a 4th liner in the NHL as his overall skill set isn’t as high. He played well enough in Providence this year that he showed he could bring a nice scoring touch to a fourth liner in the NHL. He was consistent in his physical play and overall didn’t cost the team, however you would like to see him in the penalty box a little bit less.

Riley Duran

Grade: A

Duran had a great season that was primarily spent in Providence. He saw only saw 2 games in Boston, but it was the 2020 6th-round draft pick’s first full professional season. He showed that he can be a great defensive forward and contribute in a solid, physical, way to a fourth line. His 60 games in Providence earned him the 2 games in Boston as the season was winding down and with the big club he showed his game is very close to being NHL-ready despite his young age.

John Farinacci

Grade: A-

There were plenty of chances this season that I would have loved to see Farinacchi get a call up to the NHL. He was on a significantly higher scoring pace this year in Providence than he was last season. Unfortunately he suffered injuries this year that very much held him back. I think we’re having a much different conversation about him if he stayed healthy all season, but by no stretch was his season “bad” this year and when you factor in the injuries his season was still very solid.