Each year there are a few players who have shown great promise in their previous season and then go and throw up a brick the following season.  Some of these young guys come into the season with expectations that far exceed realistic expectations.  This leaves fantasy GM’s scratching their heads and wondering if they made a mistake.  What happens when a whole team disappears?

Milan Lucic was expected to build on growing expectations and has been a fantasy bust this year.  Lucic started slowly and then got hurt.  He has simply not been able to put it together this year.  There are a number of factors for this not the least of which was the trading of line-mate Phil Kessel to Toronto.  To make matters worse his center Marc Savard has also been injured at times during the season and is now back on the shelf thanks to a Matt Cooke hit.  Savard’s 33 points in 40 games is as close to respectable as you’ll find on this team.  Hockey experts had expected continued growth from the 21-year-old Lucic.  Forecaster had him penciled in for 21 goals and 26 assists.  McKeen’s (the bible of printed pool material) had him scoring 24 goals and adding 30 assists.  In 32 games this year Lucic has just 6 goals and 5 assists.  How could the experts be so wrong?  Will they be adjusting their thinking coming into 2010?  For your sake we hope so, because Lucic has too much pride and character to stumble so badly.

Blake Wheeler, depending who you ask was either expected to sophomore slump or bump his impressive totals of 21 goals and 24 assists.  He’s on pace for just 17 goals and 23 assists in a full 82 game schedule.  Some of his troubles can be attributed to David Krejci’s miserable season.  It’s very difficult for players who depend on speed and timing to catch up after missing training camp.  Krejci looked great in the Olympics, but has been consistently inconsistent all season in Boston.

Patrice Bergeron has been a shadow of his former self and then good luck came his way when he was named to Team Canada for the Olympics in Vancouver.  It could have been the confidence boost the Bruin needed to get his game back on track.  Problem is he played poorly enough to relegate himself to penalty killing duty as the tournament went on.  Now from a confidence standpoint he’ll have to rebuild on this Olympic experience instead of building on it.  His projected 50 points in 74 games cannot be seen as a success after his distant 70 point seasons.

Michael Ryder was also supposed to have another season of close to 30 goals and 30 assists.  Oops!  15 goals and 10 assists will not endear him to anyone.  The 100-year-old (42 actually) Mark Recchi is finally starting to act his age and won’t come close to the 61 points he put up between Tampa Bay and Boston last year.

Dennis Wideman; has anyone seen Dennis Wideman?  The high scoring defenseman has not been scoring.  After a 50 point season last year, Wideman will be lucky to put up half of that when the season is over.

All these players (even Recchi, though retirement is always possible) have the potential to bounce back next year.  Other teams have disappointments, but it’s hard to find a team with so much under the radar potential as the Boston Bruins.  Just don’t expect anything his year, the season from hell!