Brad Marchand – The only one that matters. Or doesn’t matter when the games get important, as we found out last June. And June ’13. Marchand would want you to believe he’s the ultimate pest. What he is is a coward. Pests know what they are, and just annoy, poke, and cause penalties. They don’t duck every plausible challenger and then essentially jump noted goon Nikolaj Ehlers like Marchand did last week. And they certainly don’t pose after it, as Marchand desperately did to try and be considered a toughie. Eventually everyone is going to learn what the Blues did last year, which is if you just leave Marchand alone and don’t give him oxygen, he goes away. He’s a Bergeron and Pastrnak passenger, and the Bruins will learn that again this spring at some point. They always do. Usually about the time Marchand goes for a line change when he’s supposed to be defending.
Zdeno Chara – A first-ballot Hall of Famer, but it’s going to be up to the Bruins in the summer to tell him no more. Was horribly exposed in the playoffs last year, and the Bs brought him back because they can’t seem to say no. In an East that should see the Bs have to get past some combination of Tampa, Toronto, Carolina, Washington, Pittsburgh, Chara’s plodding ways and wingspan that less and less can make up for it are going to be a detriment again.
