Attack of the Killer B's?

Moving down the division, though not far, are the beloved Boston Bruins: beloved of the masses in Beantown and of course beloved of JJ's billfold.  Few teams went for such deep dives into the UFA pool, but when all is said and done, I think they'll be 4th in the conference and rumbling into the playoffs.

Gone -

Sergei Gonchar, D (UFA, Pittsburgh)

Brian Rolston, C/W (UFA, Minnesota)

Mike Knuble, RW (UFA, Philly)

Dan McGillis, D (UFA, New Jersey)

Martin Lapointe, RW (UFA, Chicago)

Sean O'Donnell, D (UFA, Phoenix)

Andy Delmore, "D"  (UFA, Detroit)

Craig MacDonald, C/W (UFA, Calgary)

Doug Doull, Knuckle Monkey (UFA, Phoenix)

Michal Grosek, W (Europe)

New-B-ies-

Brad Isbister LW (Trade, Edmonton)

Alex Zhamnov C (UFA from Philly)

Brian Leetch D (UFA from Toronto)

Dave Scatchard C (UFA from the Islanders)

Shawn McEachern W (UFA from Atlanta)

Hannu Toivonen G (AHL)

In Limbo -

Felix Potvin (Unsigned UFA)

With several key RFA's yet unsigned, Boston has seen a tremendous turnover in their lineup.  The gamble on acquiring Gonchar, which cost them highly regarded defenseman Shaone Morrisonn and their first and second round picks in the '04 draft, proved fruitless as Sergei signed for big money in Pittsburgh.  However, Psycho Joe returns and the Bruins collection of forwards is second only to the Sens.  The top 6 features Thornton, Samsanov, Murray, Zhamnov, Isbister and Bergeron.  With the exception of Isbister, they can create and score single-handedly.  Scatchard, Axelson and McEachern should provide an excellent third line while Green, Fitzgerald and either bruiser Colton Orr or jackrabbit Martin Samuelsson should provide energy from the 4th line.  The defense is a little suspect with the departures of Gonchar, O'Donnell, McGillis (and the trade of Morrisonn) leave behind the yet-unsigned Nick Boynton and Hal Gill, as well as the signed Leetch, Slegr, Moran, and Girard.  Lars Jonsson should be in the mix for a spot on the blueline, as should Mark Stuart, recently signed from Colorado College, and massive Providence farm-hand Milan Jurcina.  Andy Raycroft is coming off a rookie of the year winning performance while Hannu Toivonen should be making the jump to provide the B's with a dynamic 1-2 tandem.

Overall, I like the team Sinden/O'Connell have assembled, the on-ice issue is going to be how quickly their new parts mesh with the old.  I see them in the upper echelon of Eastern Conference teams, with very few question mark in their lineup.  One caveat is the still-unsigned Boynton.  If somehow negotiations break down and they are unable to come to terms, their defense will suffer.  MOC would need a replacement of similar skill and versatility, not an often traded commodity in the NHL.