Looking at the franchise's best through the past ten years of hockey.
1. Patrice Bergeron: There is absolutely no doubt that Bergeron belongs at the top of this list. He might not always be near the top of the league in points, but his all around play is what makes him one of the greatest players of his generation. His four Selke Trophies, and countless nominations, show his strength at the full ice game. He truly is the greatest defensive forward to ever lace up the skates. He can simply do it all as well. He is a threat even strength, on the powerplay, and is also one of the best penalty killers in the game. You just cannot deny Bergeron's greatness.
2. Zdeno Chara: You are not going to find anyone over the past decade in the NHL that is tougher to score on than Zdeno Chara. While his legs have slowed over the past few seasons, he has still kept his role as the best shutdown defenseman of the team. His value to the Bruins is greatly unappreciated. Earlier in the decade he was a threat offensively as well. He uses his long reach, and booming slapshot to terrify opposing players. Chara has also been captain of the Bruins for the entirety of the decade. 'Big Z' has used his smarts, size, and overall toughness to be by far the best Bruins defenseman of the decade.
3. Brad Marchand: Marchand used to be the pest with loads of potential, but has now transformed into one of the best players in the NHL. He has the most total points for the Bruins this decade, and in 2018-19 had the first 100 point season by a Bruin since Joe Thornton in 2002-03. He is undoubtedly one of the most skilled players in the league at this point. He is another Bruin who absolutely thrives not only on offense, but on the defensive side of the ice. A Boston fan favorite, Marchand has been clutch his whole career, holding the all time lead in overtime goals for the Bruins.
4. Tuukka Rask: The criticism of Tuukka Rask is simply absurd. Statistically speaking, he is second to only Ben Bishop in both GAA and SV% over the last decade. Every single year, he is one of, if not the best goalie in the league. He has also led the Bruins on two Stanley Cup Final runs. The complaints about Rask not showing up for big games is just not true, as the Bruins would not have even made the Cup Finals in 2013 and 2019 were it not for the great play of Rask in the playoffs. He is not only the best Bruins goalie of the decade, but also the best Bruins goalie of all time.
5. David Krejci: David Krejci is the steady, unsung hero of this era of Bruins. Not once an All Star, but if you think that the Bruins would have had anywhere near the success that they have had over the last decade without Krejci, then you are sorely mistaken. Krejci was the first line center for the first few years of the decade, and led the Bruins in points in the postseason for Stanley Cup Win in 2011, and also for their Stanley CUp FInal run in 2013. His presence, and extremely reliable production over the past ten years land Krejci the number five spot on this list.
6. David Pastrnak: There is little doubt that Pastrnak is the most offensively gifted player the Bruins have had in a long time. He has scored 34, 35, and 38 in his past three seasons, and is on pace to smash those numbers out of the water this year. He has only played for half of the decade, but is the best pure scorer of the decade for the Bruins. He might need to improve his defensive play a little, but the talent is there for 'Pasta' to be one of the greatest Boston Bruins ever.
7. Milan Lucic: No one was going to mess with one of the skill players on the Bruins when they knew that they would have to deal with Lucic. The crazy thing was, Lucic was on the first line, and one of the best players on the Bruins over the first half of the decade. He scored 30 goals in 2010-11, and played on the first line alongside Krejci and Nathan Horton. It is hard to think of many players tougher than Lucic over the past ten years not just on the Bruins, but in the NHL in general. His game has faded over the past few years with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, but trying to name a player who would do more for a teammate than Lucic, is a very difficult task.
8. Torey Krug: Krug is top five in over the past decade in points, and first among all defenseman. It might seem surprising, but he is gaining closer and closer to 500 games with the Bruins. He might not be the biggest guy, but he certainly makes up for it. His smooth skating, and heads up play make him a dangerous player every time he steps on the ice. He is also the leader of one of hockey's best powerplays. Torey Krug embodies the phrase 'it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.'
9. Tim Thomas: Thomas may have only played in two seasons for the Bruins this decade, but his 2010-11 season will go down as one of the greatest of all time. His .938 SV% that year is the highest of the decade by any goalie, and his even 2.00 GAA is not far behind. The crazy thing is, he improved his game in the playoffs. In that postseason, he had a .940 SV% and a 1.98 GAA, along with four shutouts (including in game seven of both the Eastern Conference Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals). He took home both the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy that year.
10. Dennis Seidenberg: The man with the crazy looking skates was simply a rock. People seem to forget that he was a first pair defenseman, and a good one at that. He played an absolutely pivotal role on the Bruins Cup run in 2011, and their success through the first half of the decade. When he and Zdeno Chara were on the ice together, the other team was just not going to score, it was as simple as that.
Honorable Mentions: Nathan Horton, Adam McQuaid, Shawn Thornton, Jack Edwards
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