Every year, the Boston Bruins hand out the seventh player award. NESN’s 7th Player Award is voted on by the fans and is presented to the player that exceeded expectations throughout the season. It is typically not awarded to the best players, because if it was, David Pastrnak would likely win each season. Although, he did win the award in 2017.
During the 2023-24 season, Trent Frederic was the recipient of the prestigious award. He went on to skate in all 82 games and set a career-high in goals (18) and points (40). Now that a new season is upon us, let’s take a look at some players that could be likely candidates to win it in 2024-25.
Matthew Poitras
Let’s begin with the youth on the roster. Second-year center Matthew Poitras will look to have a bounce-back season. He wasn’t a bad player by any means and he was impactful when he was on the ice. He is a smart player and has tremendous skill and offensive upside to his game. After a slow start and finding his footing, he was able to find the back of the net. He scored five goals and 15 points in 33 games played. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ended his season and the Bruins had to continue without him. However, the 2024-25 season is a new year and a fresh start for Poitras.
Poitras should be a lock to make the opening night roster. He would give the Bruins tremendous center depth and help build another scoring line. He is a smaller guy and has managed to add size and muscle in the offseason. That’s huge for Poitras, who will look to be stronger on pucks and not get pushed around.
The Bruins are set on the top two lines with Elias Lindholm centering the first line and Charlie Coyle centering the second line. Poitras was a pleasant surprise in his first season and will use last season’s injury as motivation to come back stronger in 2024-25. There is a strong chance that he can surpass the 30-point mark and reach 40 points if healthy. If that is the case, he is the perfect candidate for the 7th Player Award.
Mason Lohrei
The youth movement continues and it lies with the defensive unit. The Bruins moved on from Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort, and have opened themselves up to greener pastures. The pastures lead right to Mason Lohrei. Even with the Bruins signing the big and physical Nikita Zadorov, there is plenty of opportunity for Lohrei to carve out a role.
The roles on the back end are carved out. According to Daily Faceoff, they have Lohrei on the third pair alongside Andrew Peeke. That’s not so bad and could allow him to find his footing early in the season. Lohrei has also had success playing alongside Brandon Carlo, as his ability to create offense pairs well with Carlo and his shutdown ability.
Lohrei will have the chance to showcase his offensive ability. General manager Don Sweeney has already indicated that Lohrei will see time on the power play. His ability to move the puck and create offense will be on display. During the 2023-24 season, he finished with 13 points in 41 games, while also having four points in 11 playoff games.
With a more carved-out role and opportunity, Lohrei could be a major contributor to a successful 2024-25 season for the Bruins and exceed his expectations.
Max Jones
This is a player that Bruins fans shouldn’t sleep on. Yes, he did come over from the Anaheim Ducks who haven’t been very good for a few years. However, that doesn’t mean all players that play there are bad. A good example is Simon Benoit, the defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His underlying stuff was not great with the Ducks, but he’s been a solid shutdown defenseman for the Maple Leafs. Max Jones is a forward, but he will bring impact to the game.
Who? Max Jones!
Who? Max Jones!
It's 3-1! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/dg4yPVGG0j— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 2, 2024
Jones brings a speed element to the game, which will ease the void of losing Jesper Boqvist. Also, he adds the necessary grit to the bottom of the lineup and is physical. His 127 hits would have finished seventh on the Bruins last season. Jones also put up 15 points and will be key to the fourth line. His 9.9 expected goals were the seventh most on the Ducks roster during the 2023-24 season.
Over the years, the Bruins have had standout fourth line players and it grows on the fan base. Jones will be a pleasant surprise and has a good chance of exceeding expectations.
Trent Frederic
Back to back sounds nice doesn’t it? Over the years, Frederic has shown tremendous growth in his game. He went from a bruising fourth-line grinder to being an extra layer of scoring for the Bruins. He has shown how lethal his shot can be and how he can be an effective power forward in this league.
After popping off for a career season, Frederic could further exceed expectations. It remains a mystery what the Bruins’ second-line right wing position will look like. Will Fabian Lysell be ready? Is Georgii Merkulov a candidate as well? There is the option to throw Morgan Geekie there too, as he can play both center and wing. But so can Frederic.
Frederic can continue his rise to the top, much like captain Brad Marchand did over the course of his career. With each passing season, the goals have gotten higher and so have the point totals. Also, he has finished the last two seasons with a shooting percentage above 14%. Given he has played primarily on the third line is huge.
I don’t believe anybody expects Frederic to be a second-line winger, but he certainly deserves a shot. Also, he is in a contract year, so a season beyond 40 points shouldn’t surprise anybody.
The Likely Candidates
These three players should be among the choices for the 7th Player Award. Two are heading into their sophomore seasons and looking to further develop themselves at the NHL level. Frederic is a veteran compared to the other two, but has further progressed beyond anybody’s expectations. It is always fun rooting for the unsung hero in a given season and will be fun to see who wins the award in 2024-25.
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