The Boston Bruins should have one of the NHL’s top-10 forward groups in 2024-25, but who is the top player in the unit?

If there’s one team that boasts quite an entertaining group of forwards for the 2024-25 season, it’s the Boston Bruins. Boston was outstanding in the regular season over the last two years, and their forwards unit had a lot to do with it.

But with perhaps their best group yet for the upcoming campaign, is this finally the year for an ultra-deep playoff run? That depends on whether the team’s best centers and wingers step up to new heights, and today, we’re going to identify who those top players are.

Which forward graced the No. 1 position in our rankings, and what makes them so pivotal to the Bruins success this year? But before we unearth who that player is, let’s first check out how even those ranked lower in the unit will best serve the Bruins.

15 – Patrick Brown

A likely extra who has played in 149 games over eight seasons and suited up with the Bruins for 11 contests last year. Patrick Brown will likely battle with Oskar Steen and Vinni Lettieri for playing time with the big club.

14 – Oskar Steen

Oskar Steen is also nothing more than an extra who will play hardly more than 10 minutes a contest. But he’s someone valuable for a physical team like the Bruins when his number’s called to log high-quality minutes.

13 – Vinni Lettieri

Vinni Lettieri dressed for just one game with the Bruins in 2022-23 before he saw the ice in 46 contests last year with the Minnesota Wild. Don’t expect him to record over 10 minutes per game, but he’s another member of the fourth line/extras who will be more than fine with a checking role.

12 – Mark Kastelic

While I knew Mark Kastelic wouldn’t rank highly on this list, he wasn’t the easiest player to pinpoint. The former Ottawa Senator also won’t give the Bruins more than 10 minutes per game, but he’s yet another big hitter who can contribute to the physical identity Boston will boast on its lower lines, and he provides further value with a career 56.3 faceoff win percentage.

11 – Justin Brazeau

Justin Brazeau saw just 19 games of NHL action last season, and it’s all he’s logged so far in his career. Like Oskar Steen and the others previously discussed, Brazeau will probably see nothing more than fourth-line minutes, meaning he’s also in for quality ice time and landing body checks. That said, he put up seven points and two goals last season, so he’s got the potential to be a depth scorer.

10 – Max Jones

Another one who will likely battle for time on the lower lines, Max Jones is a younger player who will also give the Bruins a hard-hitting and rather imposing depth piece. Unlike some of the names mentioned earlier, Jones should give the Bruins between 12 and 13 minutes per game if he proves himself in the preseason.

9 – John Beecher

Yet another potential fourth-liner, John Beecher could evolve into a full-time role on the fourth line in 2024-25 following a season in which he won 54.6 percent of his faceoffs and scored a respectable seven goals in 52 contests. Beecher is only heading into his age-23 season, so he’ll only get better from here on out.

8 – Matthew Poitras

There’s a good chance Matthew Poitras sticks around with the big club this season following a promising rookie season that unfortunately ended early thanks to an injury. If healthy, nobody will skyrocket up these rankings faster than Poitras, who scored five goals and logged a respectable 15 points in 33 games.

7 – Morgan Geekie

Morgan Geekie is one of the younger players I’m looking forward to watching in 2024-25 after he put up a 17-goal, 39-point season in 2023-24 across 76 regular season games. Geekie is yet another hard-hitter in this lineup, but one who will easily find a place in the middle-six. It shouldn’t be a shocker if he finishes the season as the Bruins breakout forward.

6 – Trent Frederic

The Bruins may not be the youngest team in the league, but it doesn’t mean they don’t boast a young core, and Trent Frederic is one of those players. Like Geekie, he’s physical, but one of the hardest-hitting forwards the Bruins have, and after he finished the year with 40 points and 18 goals in 82 contests, he’s another one to watch in 2024-25.

5 – Elias Lindholm

Elias Lindholm is a newcomer who may have clocked in with a higher ranking if he was more consistent during the latter portion of the season. But he found his groove in the playoffs, and if he parlays that type of play into the 2024-25 season, Bruins fans will be more than glad he joined the team.

4 – Charlie Coyle

Charlie Coyle picked up his play for the Bruins last season and burst onto the scene with 60 points and 25 goals. Coyle remained a hard-hitting, defensive-oriented forward as well, and he was also one of the Bruins better players in the faceoff circle. While you can claim he had just one 60-point season in his career, it’s the all-around play Coyle possesses that enticed me to place him at No. 4 in these rankings.

3 – Brad Marchand

Even entering his age-36 season, Brad Marchand remains one of the best on the team, having put up 67 points and 29 goals in 2023-24. Marchand isn’t as productive as he once was, but it should surprise few fans if he puts up at least one more 65-plus-point campaign before he’s finished playing, whenever that time may be.

2 – Pavel Zacha

Pavel Zacha enjoyed a 59-point season, and his stock continues to trend north, meaning a 65-70-point campaign is not out of the question. He fits the Bruins identity as a physical team, and much like Charlie Coyle, he will win more faceoffs than he loses.

1 – David Pastrnak

David Pastrnak isn’t just the best forward on the Boston Bruins; he’s one of the best in the NHL, and there’s no reason he won’t be a prime Hart Trophy candidate. He’s put up 110-plus points in each of the last two seasons, and expect anywhere between 45 and 60 goals from him throughout the 2024-25 season.