Who's in: Steve Begin, Derek Morris
Who's out: P.J. Axelsson, Manny Fernandez, Shane Hnidy, Steve Montador, Aaron Ward, Stephane Yelle

Outlook: With the majority of the Bruins new cap contributions committed to contracts for Tim Thomas and David Krejci, Boston was pretty quiet in free agency, opting only to bring back greybeard Mark Recchi and sign defenceman Derek Morris, useful plugger Steve Begin and backup netminder Dany Sabourin. In terms of losses, there were a few, with long-time checking forward P.J. Axelsson, netminder Manny Fernandez, centre Stephane Yelle and defenders Aaron Ward, Steve Montador and Shane Hnidy all headed elsewhere.

Add in the fact that Phil Kessel, a restricted free agent, is expecting a big pay raise despite the team's lack of payroll room, and the Bruins lineup could look considerably different come October. Indications are that Kessel will be moved out in the near future, and his contributions up front will likely be missed.

Where Boston will be hoping for more is from Marco Sturm and Andrew Ference, two players who played well last season but missed significant time due to injury. A healthy return from both would go a long way toward offsetting some of the Bruins losses.

Perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, however, is the fact Boston should easily remain the top dog in the Northeast Division given their rivals are all regrouping after poor seasons. Barring a major injury to a key cog like Thomas or Zdeno Chara, Boston should be a top team in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

X-factor: Phil Kessel

For a more in-depth Bruins preview, visit Stanley Cup of Chowder
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook