ESPN

Lucic had solid stats this season, finishing with 26 goals and 35 assists in 81 games, but there were too many nights where the rugged winger wasn't using his size and scoring prowess to make a consistent impact. It seemed at time like Lucic would try to create intensity with physical play and fail and end up taking undisciplined penalties. When Lucic is skating and playing to his full ability, he can be a prolific power forward. But at times it seems like he gets caught not moving enough, expecting that the game or the puck will come to him. His three assists in the seven-game loss to the Capitals weren't close to what the Bruins need from a player that has his talent. Lucic can open up the paths to the net that the Caps and other teams successfully closed when they beat the Bruins but he didn't utilize his abilities enough.

Krejci also put up decent numbers, with 23 goals and 39 assists in 79 games. But like Lucic, Krejci struggled with consistency and really seemed to let the absence of Horton affect his game too much. Obviously it hurts to take away a player like Horton, but Krejci has shown that he has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders. In the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup run, Krejci had 23 points in 25 games and showed that he can be a consistent scoring threat. After signing a four-year extension with the Bruins last fall, Krejci was only able to equal his point total of 62 from a season ago and saw his plus/minus go from a plus-23 to a minus-5. This was a season that Krejci could've have proven himself to be a No. 1 center and he didn't. The heat is on next season or Krejci could find himself playing out the final two seasons of that contract with another team.

Horton was close to getting an "incomplete" grade here. Even before the concussion that ended his season, Horton looked as if he was struggling to make it all the way back from the concussion he suffered in Game 3 of the Cup finals against the Canucks, making it hard to be critical of him. But he and the team both insisted he had fully recovered from that concussion and he ended up playing in more than half of the Bruins' game (46). So he is subject to the same criticism as his linemates were. Like Lucic and Krejci, Horton also battled inconsistency and on too many nights (and again, maybe this was a result of the concussion last June), Horton did not apply his size and strength. He had 17 goals and 15 assists but could never seem to find that groove he was in for most of the 2010-11 regular season and playoffs.

With two power forwards on the wings and a playmaking center that can light the lamp as well, the line of Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton has shown the potential to be one of the most potent scoring lines in the NHL. With Horton and Krejci coming off huge playoff performances in 2011, hopes were high that this line would lead a deep group of forwards for the Bruins in 2011-12. But unfortunately, the trio was inconsistent for much of the season before Horton suffered what ended up being a season-ending concussion on Jan. 22 against the Flyers . With Horton gone, Lucic and Krejci had to play with different players for most of the second half. While that was obviously a factor, both players still failed to play to their potential, especially in the playoffs when they each registered just three points in seven games against the Capitals and were invisible on too many shifts.

So much for sophomore slumps. Marchand followed up a 21-goal and 41-point season in 2010-11 with an even better season in 2011-12. The pesky winger scored 28 goals to go along with 27 assists and was a plus 31. Marchand also continued to walk that fine line of being an effective agitator without putting his team in a bad spot by ending up in the penalty box. In fact, toward the end of the season and in the playoffs -- where he struggled with just a goal and an assist -- Marchand put too much emphasis on goal scoring rather than being the pest that made him effective in the past. He did not play like himself and that seemed to diminish his overall performance.

Bergeron was hands down the team MVP for the Bruins in the 2011-12 season. The Selke Trophy Award nominee showed his offensive flair and became arguably the best two-way forward in the NHL. Bergeron scored 22 goals for the third time in his career and had 42 helpers. He was also a plus 36, which led the NHL. But what might have been even more valuable to the team than his stats was how he influenced Marchand and Seguin, helping them to become more complete players. It was no shocker to learn that Bergeron played through the grueling pain of a torn oblique muscle for the last three games of the seven-game series loss to the Capitals. Bergeron is what every head coach wants in a player and that was on full display this season.

After what he admitted was a difficult transition and learning experience in his rookie season, when he had 11 goals and 11 assists in 74 games in 2010-11, Seguin became a more complete player this season. As a result, his pure offensive talent was able to blossom. Seguin led the team in goals with 29 and points with 67. While that was a glimpse into what looks like a bright future for the second overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, the more impressive sign came with the development of Seguin on and off the ice. Yes, there was the alarm clock issue in Winnipeg and his one-game suspension by the team back in December, but talking to many veterans on the team after that incident, there was a general consensus that Seguin was becoming more of a "pro." There's no coincidence between that and his stats. Seguin, like many others, could've been better than the two goals and one assist he had in the playoffs, but this season was a major stepping-stone for a key piece to the Bruins' future.

Entering the season and still throughout it, many referred to the line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton (or whoever was filling in for Horton after his concussion) as the Bruins' No. 1 line. But with all due respect to that trio -- which had the capability, even in the absence of Horton, to be a legit No. 1 line -- the Bruins' top line in the 2011-12 season was Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin. They had the most points, goals and, most importantly, consistency on both ends of the ice. Influenced by Bergeron's work ethic and defense-first approach, this line became arguably one of the best two-way lines in the NHL. Unfortunately, due to injuries on other lines, it had to be broken up many times.