Bruins Playoff Odds Hit ZERO; New Odds for First Pick

Mathematically, the Boston Bruins are still alive in the playoff chase.

Realistically, they’re toast and have hit absolute zero in the latest MoneyPuck odds. Zero-point-zero.

After losing their last eight games in a row, the Bruins have fallen behind the lifeless Pittsburgh Penguins and are now in the realm of teams like the lowly Philadelphia Flyers and perpetually rebuilding Buffalo Sabres.

It was obviously over when general manager Don Sweeney made sweeping moves at the trade deadline, selling off pieces such as Brandon Carlo, Charlie Colyle, and the team’s captain Brad Marchand, that he had lost all hope on the Bruins’ season.

Not even NHL betting had any reason to believe, as the Bruins’ tragic number is down to just nine.

But while the Bruins have fallen so far off down the stretch, they’ve quickly risen up the draft board.

If the season were to end today, the Bruins would have the seventh overall pick (not counting any movement due to the NHL lottery). With Pittsburgh beating the Ottawa Senators Sunday, Pittsburgh moved two points ahead of the Bruins–giving the Bruins a 7.6 percent chance to win the first overall pick.

The current consensus top pick is defenseman Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters out of the OHL.

Last summer, James Hagens of Boston College was believed to be the top prospect in this year’s draft class. However, his stock has taken a hit, with some draft rankings now placing him as low as fifth after he had just an average campaign for the Eagles this year,

With a few more losses, the Bruins could fall as low as fourth overall selection, which would boost their chances of landing the top pick to 8.5 percent. While those odds are slim, the Bruins could still potentially have their choice of several high-end prospects in the top-heavy 2025 NHL Draft.

Now more than ever, it seems like an increasingly good deal to take any one of the Bruins’ opponents, as FanDuel research frequently spots the top three players to score on any given day.

The Bruins have just eight games remaining on their schedule this year. They are a full two points behind Pittsburgh but remain in a gaggle of three teams hovering just below 70 points in the standings: Philadelphia, Buffalo, and the Seattle Kraken.

The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks have the top two spots secured. San Jose has registered just 49 points this season and is on line to make the first overall selection for the second year in a row. The hapless youngsters in Chicago have just 5 points.

Boston will face Chicago, as well as Pittsburgh and Buffalo, before the regular season concludes.

At the beginning of the year, those games meant little to a Bruins team expecting to make another run to the playoffs. Now, a few more losses aren’t such a bad thing.