In recent seasons, we’ve seen Stanley Cup rosters disband (if not explode) during the summer months. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost a good handful of players after their run, while seemingly half of the Chicago Blackhawks roster was spread out among the league after they won. The Boston Bruins are looking to try the opposite, as most of the members of the 2011 Stanley Cup winners are back, which many think will give them the upper hand in their road to repeat.

The three biggest departures include Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, and Tomas Kaberle. Recchi had a strong postseason, but at 43 years of age, there’s probably little he can provide over the course of another full season. Ryder took advantage of free agency and signed a two-year, $7 million deal with the Dallas Stars. Kaberle, the defenceman acquired at the trade deadline, was virtually non-existent during the playoffs and left Boston for the Carolina Hurricanes after the Bruins decided not to attempt to re-sign him.

Boston has also added some players to make up for the vacated roster spots. Joe Corvo, who ironically comes from the Hurricanes, will fill Kaberle’s hole on the blue line. He’s not been as good as Kaberle over a long stretch, but he’ll be more than acceptable if he can produce more than what Kaberle did during his short stint in Boston. Benoit Pouliot is an interesting case coming from the Montreal Canadiens. He was a bust with the Canadiens and likely won’t play on either of the first two lines, but every team needs depth, and Pouliot still might surprise somebody.

Boston’s younger players may be the ones to step up this season and have the greatest impact. Tyler Sequin – when allowed to play – was excellent in the playoffs for the Bruins. He’ll likely take on a much larger role this season while fellow rookies Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron will compete for roster spots. While Boston was certainly few peoples’ choice to win the Stanley Cup last season, they just might be one of the strongest picks in recent years to repeat as champs.