THW Boston Bruins Substack - Sept. 12, 2023
Welcome to the THW Boston Bruins Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Bruins writers.
In today’s edition, we have Brad Marchand as one of the top five agitators in the NHL, bold player predictions for four Bruins in 2023-24, and more.
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The 5 Best Agitators in the NHL
September 9, 2023 by Alex Chauvancy
You had to figure we’d see his name at some point during this discussion. How do I know that Brad Marchand is a good agitator? He seems to enjoy bothering opponents, and he doesn’t always do it legally. He’s faced six suspensions from the NHL for a total of 19 games and is not a popular guy around the league, thanks to some of those actions.
In a 2020 poll conducted by The Athletic, 29 percent of NHL players voted Marchand as the dirtiest player in the league (From ‘The 2020 NHL Poll: Players have their say on the best player, worst referee, drinking buddies and more’, The Athletic – 1/20/2020). But generally, Marchand’s actions are pretty harmless, like when he started licking NHL players for some unknown reason. Much like Gallagher, he is a smaller player and doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves. But he has toned down his antics in recent seasons, becoming more of a scorer rather than an agitator.
4 Bruins’ Bold Player Predictions for 2023-24
September 9, 2023 by Scott Roche
Now that we have entered the month of September, the 2023-24 NHL season is getting closer and closer. The Boston Bruins kick off training camp on Sept. 20 at Warrior Ice Arena for the first time without either of their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Not only are the Black and Gold losing two very good face-off men but also two good play-makers.
Without their top two centers, just how much offense will they get? That remains to be seen but with camp on the horizon, it’s time to make four bold player predictions for the 2023-24 season.
3 Bruins to Watch at 2023 Training Camp
September 9, 2023 by Hannah Garfield
With Labor Day behind us, unofficially marking the end of summer, hockey season is coming back in full swing. This week saw the return of many Bruins’ players to the ice in Boston for captain’s practices. In less than a week, rookie camp is set to begin with training camp officially opening the following week on Sept. 20.
At the beginning of last season, there were a few surprises to come out of training camp. Jakub Lauko was not on many people’s radars to make the opening night roster. But after an impressive showing, he earned his spot and made his NHL debut. He went on to appear in 23 games during the 2022-23 season, registering four goals and seven points. AJ Greer also put together a surprisingly good training camp.
Whatever the case, there are a number of guys that could really make a lasting impression at this season’s training camp. I’ve narrowed that list down to three guys that I am the most intrigued to see how they do as we gear up for the 2023-24 season to start.