NHL expert explains why he's n...

The Boston Bruins are expected by many hockey experts and fans to take a significant step back during the 2023-24 NHL season.

It makes sense, to some degree. The Bruins were the best regular season team in league history last season by setting records for the most ever wins (65) and points (135). Regression is always expected after that kind of historic campaign.

But the real reason why people aren't optimistic about the Bruins is because of the players the team lost in the offseason. That list includes Patrice Bergeron (retirement), David Krejci (retirement), Tyler Bertuzzi (free agency), Taylor Hall (trade), Dmitry Orlov (free agency) and Connor Clifton (free agency), among others.

But despite losing all of this talent, one prominent NHL expert still remains hesitant to predict the Bruins' demise.

"Look, you're not gonna come back as the same team. You lose Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, you're not coming back to being close to the same you were," Sportsnet's Jeff Marek recently told co-host Elliotte Friedman on the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "I'm just not prepared to write off the Boston Bruins like some people are, and say this is awful, if a team like Detroit, Buffalo or Ottawa are jumping up, that's the team (that falls). They always (figure it out).

"I know it's tough. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha are your 1-2 centers. And you wonder what happens to other players who played with, most specifically Bergeron, what happens to their production now that (Bergeron and Krejci) are gone. But there's still so much talent there -- that blue line, those goalies, David Pastrnak. There's still a ton of talent."

The Bruins could still add to their roster before the season and ahead of the trade deadline in March. Center is the most obvious position of need, and the two most notable players who could be available -- Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets and Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames -- would be huge upgrades for the B's.

"I think we all wonder if there's a deal for a center in either Winnipeg or Calgary for the Boston Bruins. I just don't know if they have the assets to make those deals," Marek said. "That's the only thing that I wonder about."

Even if the Bruins are unable to pull off a trade for Lindholm or Scheifele, they still have more than enough talent to return to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Boston lost a lot of offensive firepower in the offseason, so it likely won't score the second-most goals in the league again next season. However, the Bruins do have an elite blue line, the best goalie tandem in the sport and an elite penalty kill. That's a pretty solid foundation for success.

Plus, the Bruins have all the motivation they need after last season's stunning first-round loss in the first round of the playoffs.