Boston Bruins
Bruins Concern-O-Meter: Low-Impact Moves, Sweeney Still Here & More
The Boston Bruins’ offseason is nearly over. Soon enough, players, prospects, and coaches will fill Warrior Ice Arena for the start of training camp, one that will be like any other in recent memory.
As the franchise shifts into a new era, there are no expectations for the Bruins to contend for the Stanley Cup this season. That in of itself isn’t all that worrying. It’s simply part of the natural cycle of professional sports.
However, there are still quite a few areas of concern that plague the team entering the year. Some are more pressing than others, but all will ultimately help determine which direction the Bruins are heading.
Lack of Impact Additions
Concern-O-Meter: 7/10
The Bruins had a busy offseason by making multiple additions, but few that feel of consequence.
They didn’t address areas of need, such as acquiring a top-six goalscorer or bringing in a sturdy right-shot defenseman to stabilize the blue line. Instead, the Bruins invested in size and grit by signing multiple bottom-six forwards, something they already had a surplus of to begin with, in hopes of raising their overall compete level.
It’s a nice idea, in theory. After all, the Bruins’ compete level was at times subterranean last year. However, a willingness to compete can only take a team so far. At some point, talent has to take over.
That’s not to say the Bruins are completely lacking talent, but the amount they have is questionable at best.
Yes, there’s David Pastrnak. He put together a performance worthy of the Hart Trophy last season, and the Bruins need him to have another this year. Outside of him, though, there are little certainties.
Who knows how Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm will look as they return from their respective season-ending injuries. There is by no means any guarantee that Morgan Geekie can replicate his breakout campaign from last year. Plus, Jeremy Swayman has to prove once again he’s worthy of being a full-time NHL starting goalie.
That’s a lot to make up for on competitiveness alone. Probably too much.
Lohrei’s Down Year
Concern-O-Meter: 2/10
Every player on the Bruins struggled last season, but none more than Mason Lohrei.
In fact, perhaps no player in the league had as difficult of a season as the 24-year-old defenseman, as he finished the year a minus-43, the worst mark in all the NHL. No matter how you frame it, there’s no denying it was a bad year for Lohrei. But allow me to put lipstick on a pig.
Through the team’s first 17 games of the season, Lohrei averaged 16 minutes of time on ice and had an on-ice goal differential of plus-four. When Hampus Lindholm was lost for the season, he began to average 19:22 minutes per game and had an even rating. Following Charlie McAvoy’s injury, Lohrei led the team by averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game and had a differential of minus-five. Once the Bruins traded away Brandon Carlo, Lohrei was still among the team leaders in ice time, and had a rating of minus-22 over the final 18 games of the year.
Simply put, without any other options, the Bruins saddled Lohrei with too much responsibility before he was ready. The majority of players in that position would’ve struggled as much as he did if not even more.
Barring another catastrophic year, the Bruins will not have to ask nearly much of him. All they need are signs of growth.
Youth Taking Next Step:
Concern-O-Meter: 9/10
The biggest problem facing the Bruins is that Lohrei is not the only young player they need to take a considerable step forward in their development.
Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, and Fraser Minten will all be in the running for roster spots during training camp. At least two of them need to make the cut. If none of them do, it’ll be a major red flag for the future organization.
Sure, there are other prospects like James Hagens and Will Zellers, but they’re still a ways away from reaching the NHL. If that’s all the Bruins have to look forward to, they’ll be a ways away from the end of this rebuild.
No Captain:
Concern-O-Meter: 0/10
The Bruins are rolling into the season without a true captain and don’t plan on naming one during the year, either. Instead, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy will serve as co-alternate captains, along with a third to be named later.
While it’s a controversial choice, it’s by no means concerning.
The job of the captain in the NHL isn’t just symbolic, like it is in other sports. It carries real weight and responsibility. A team should not ever name a captain simply for the sake of having one.
The Bruins have two strong options in Pastrnak and McAvoy. If they’re not ready to give either one of them the prestigious title, then so be it. They will whenever they’re ready.
Sweeney Still In Charge:
Concern-O-Meter: 5/10
One move the Bruins didn’t make this offseason was one many in the fan base were hoping to see. The organization did not fire general manager Don Sweeney, and instead doubled-down by signing him to a contract extension through the 2027-28 season. Like it or not, Sweeney is getting the chance to rebuild the Bruins after being the one who tore them down.
By and large, Sweeney has been solid in doing so far. He saw the writing on the all was in capital letters at the trade deadline and had a fire sale, acquiring multiple future assets in return.
He then hired Marco Sturm as head coach and made a total of nine picks during the NHL draft, all of which come with some level of intrigue.
When it came time to address the roster in free agency, Sweeney was forced to get creative. There weren’t a lot of household names available, and he probably would’ve had to overpay for the ones that were, so he instead made a flurry of depth signings.
It’s not exactly flashy or exciting, but Sweeney had to do something.
There’s still a lot more he needs to do. But overall, this was a step in the right direction.
