Isn't hockey kind of a crap shoot?
I mean Tim Thomas is what 37? He's been a pretty good goalie his career but at the start of the season he was the 2nd string goalie. He went from that to having the best regular season and playoffs from any goalie ever.
I understand the Bruins have a lot of young guys and good talent but I feel like the NHL is a pretty unpredictable league in general and it's hard to predict how the Bruins will do. The Bruins were down 2-0 to Montreal in the first round and people were assuming the coach GM and others would be fired and they would turn the roster upside down. Then they went on to win a championship. I think after that turmoil early on to then go on to win a championship although it's great I don't think you can say for sure that the B's will be a top team for the next 5 years or so.
Yes and no.
Injuries certainly play a big role in the NHL, just like in every other sport. And, injuries can derail teams that should be much better (like Pittsburg this year).
As for Thomas, he won the Vezina 2 years ago I believe, but struggled last year because of an injury (which he ended up having surgery for). So, the fact that he was a backup last year wasn't the whole story. Yes, Rask was better than him (which says more about the B's future than anything IMO), but Thomas wasn't himself due to an injury.
But, the Bruins added significant pieces in the past year, which helped lift them over the top.
But to me, the key is that the B's are on the rise. They were not supposed to be this good this fast (and that is a credit to Thomas). But, as Seguin and some of the other younger guys (Marchand, Kampfer, and some of the guys they have waiting in the wings who could be just as good or better) continue to grow and improve, this team has the potential to be consistently at the top of the league.