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The Bruins may have lost Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals but it sure does look like a bright future in Boston. With the main core of players coming back to the Boston Bruins for the 2009-2010 season, the Bruins look to back up a year in which they went 53-19-10 with 116 points (1 behind the President Trophy winner San Jose Sharks).

Will it be the same type of dominating season that they enjoyed during the 2008-2009 season? No one knows for certain. That outcome could depend on a number of things. A few of them being: 1) Chiarelli working out a way to sign both talented young and rising stars Phil Kessel and David Krejci, 2) avoiding damaging injuries (see Sturm, Marco and Ference, Andrew), and 3) veteran Tim Thomas having another stellar season to back up what should be a Vezina Trophy winning season.

Yes, it could be and will be hard locking up Kessel and Krejci after the breakout seasons both youngsters had (Kessel 36-24-60, Kerjci 22-51-73), but with both having and needing some major surgeries in the off-season (Kessel underwent a successful surgery already), their prices could drop due to both not being ready for the first month or two into the regular season.

That’s good news for Bruins fans. But let’s be optimistic, and I am, that Peter Chiarelli signs both to long term deals. Could you not say the Bruins could win it all and win it all soon? David Krejci showed not only poise and control, but some of the best puck possession for a young kid I’ve seen in a while. Phil Kessel (when on the ice) possess that breakaway lightening speed with a quick dead on shot the Bruins have been missing in years past. Milan Lucic has the skills and does everything that made Boston fall in love with Cam Neely (although the Neely to Lucic comparisons aren’t really fair) so much. The list could go on and on.

The Bruins have 15 players 30 years of age or younger returning for next year and beyond. Milan Lucic is 20 yrs old. Special K – P Style (Phil) just turned 21. Special K – D Style (David) is 23 yrs old (don’t like my nicknames, too bad). Blake Wheeler(22), Dennis Wideman(26), Patrice Bergeron(23), Mark Stuart(25), etc. All are growing in not only ability, but in experience.

Now, I know what people around Boston are saying…”Same old Bruins, same old story.” No, sorry, this isn’t the “same old Bruins”. This team is different than teams in the past. They are very tough to play against (just ask Mike Komisarek and any other player who has felt the wrath of Milan Lucic and Shawn Thornton’s right hooks), they can score with anyone, they are one of the best teams in the NHL defensively, they have good goaltending, and great coaching. They are a way more balanced team than in teams past.

Claude Julien repeatedly rolled out 4 lines throughout the season knowing each and every line could put the puck in the net while playing stellar defensively. They have a much better farm system than in years past due to good drafting. It seemed that every time there was an injury, the Bruins could bring up a prospect from Providence and not even miss a beat. With a salary cap in the NHL, drafting is the way of the present and future.

Drafting is how you build a team to win. The Bruins seem on a path of doing just that. They have Tuuka Rask, one of the NHL’s top prospects ready to come up and back up Tim Thomas eventually taking sole residency between the Boston pipes. Joe Colborne is ranked in the Top 20 of NHL’s Top Prospect List. Zach Hamill benefit from having a healthy off-season as well show much improvement by having a full healthy season in Providence.

If you’re a Bruins fan, it’s hard not to like what you see and will be seeing in the future. You saw a little glimpse of it during the 2007-2008 season when they just barely made the playoffs then took a team they couldn’t beat(Montreal) in the regular season to a seventh game in the first round of the playoffs (eventually losing). You saw an even bigger, if not extremely huge, glimpse of it during the 2008-2009 season when they took the NHL by storm and lost in the semifinals on a fluky goal. They’ll only get better.

They’ve shown that they can get better. That’s good news for Boston and bad news for teams that have to play them. Like I said, the future is certainly bright in the Hub of Hockey…so wear your sunglasses and enjoy the show.

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