Where experts expect the Bruins to finish in the division – NBC Sports Boston

Expectations are high for the Boston Bruins heading into the 2024-25 NHL season.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney wasted no time in the offseason, improving his roster by signing top-six center Elias Lindholm and top-four defenseman Nikita Zadorov on the first day of free agency. Boston was also able to re-sign elite goaltender Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66 million contract despite an unusually public negotiation.

Regular season success hasn't gone unnoticed by the Bruins lately. In fact, the Bruins' 466 regular season wins are the second most in the last 10 years behind the Tampa Bay Lightning's 475. If you shorten the time frame to the last five years, the B's have the most regular season wins with 240, two ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Bruins (2019-20, 2022-23) and Florida Panthers (2021-22, 2023-24) have won each of the last four Atlantic Division titles.

Despite some good offseason additions, not many people are rooting for the Bruins to succeed in the playoffs. That's not particularly surprising considering the B's will likely need to beat both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Panthers to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. It will be a brutally tough road for the Atlantic Division side.

However, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli picked the Bruins to reach the Stanley Cup Final but lose to the Edmonton Oilers. We made the opposite prediction – Bruins over Oilers – in our season predictions released on Monday.

The Oilers are by far the most popular choice to win the 2025 Stanley Cup. Last season, they narrowly escaped a Game 7 loss to the Panthers after trailing 3-0 in the series. Only two teams since the 2004-05 lockout – the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2023-24 Panthers – have won the Stanley Cup after losing in the Cup Final the previous season.

The easiest way to reach the playoffs is to secure one of the three spots from each division. Where will the Bruins finish in the Atlantic Division this season? Here's a summary of expert predictions from across the league.

Nick Goss, NBC Sports Boston:2

Greg Wyshynski, ESPN: 4

Luke Fox, Sportsnet: 1

Mark Spector, Sportsnet: 1

Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet:2

Nick Kypreos, Sportsnet: 1

Frank Seravalli, Daily Faceoff:2

Matt Larkin, Daily Faceoff:3

Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic:3

Bryan Murphy, Sports News:3

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY Sports:3