Bruins fans had every right to fret over the state of their hometown team following an offseason of change.
After all, those fears had loomed over the Original Six franchise for several seasons — and were rooted in years of tangible evidence.
Yes, it was to be expected for Boston to take a step back following the departures of franchise fixtures in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci — coupled with the exits of key cogs like Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Nick Foligno, and others.
But a dearth of blue-chip prospects — especially those capable of stepping into immediate roles this fall — offered little in terms of optimism that a still-talented Boston roster was going to be supplemented by the next wave of Bruins stalwarts.