By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
The Boston Bruins’ 2-1 loss Thursday night at the hands of the New York Islanders was in many ways a microcosm of their regular season so far as a whole. The Bruins outshot their opponent 39 to 20 but were unable to score more than one goal. Squandered power play opportunities as well as a lack of timely saves also contributed to yet another frustrating Bruins defeat.
Boston has now dropped five straight games and has fallen to 11th in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference standings. The bad news hasn’t been strictly on-ice either, as Hampus Lindholm is unlikely to return this season, due to injury, and there is no timetable for the return of Charlie McAvoy. At the moment, the Bruins’ eight-year streak of playoff appearances is in serious jeopardy.
Despite all this, there is a path that Boston can take to get back to competing for the Stanley Cup. The Bruins have a solid foundation for the beginning of a re-tool, with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. While Swayman and McAvoy have had up and down years, Pastrnak has put the team on his back at times this season. Pastrnak is currently on a 16-game point streak, where he has scored 14 goals, and assisted 17 times, for 31 points.
At the same time, this highlights the Bruins’ underlying issues. Boston has only scored 52 goals in this time, meaning Pastrnak has factored in on almost 60% of the teams’ offense. The Bruins are also 7-6-3 in this time frame. Despite all-world performance from their best player, Boston has been unable to string wins together. The harsh reality is that the roster surrounding the Bruins’ best players just isn’t good enough as currently constructed. Changes need to be made.
Pending UFA’s Seem Unlikely to Return
When Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney met with the media on Sunday, he told reporters they would be “unlikely to move forward with things” with their pending Unrestricted Free Agents other than their captain Brad Marchand. This would likely signal the end of forwards Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau’s time in Boston. Frederic is currently out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury, however he still could be traded.
What will happen with Brad Marchand appears to be more up in the air. Both sides have said that they want to figure out a contract extension, however until the two reach an agreement, trade rumors will likely continue to swirl until the March 7th deadline.
Other Potential Trade Candidates
While the Bruins don’t have a ton of pending free agents like other teams, they do have some players with years left on their deals that could appeal to buyers. One of those is Brandon Carlo, who reportedly has gathered interest across the league. Carlo is a reliable penalty killer, who has a very reasonable cap hit. If they wanted to do so, the Bruins should be able to acquire valuable assets for a potential re-tool in exchange for the Colorado Springs native.
Morgan Geekie’s name has also been mentioned in trade rumors. Geekie is a pending Restricted Free Agent, meaning that he will be under team control at season’s end, whether that’s in Boston or somewhere else. The Strathclair, Manitoba native has had an up and down season, getting healthy scratched at the beginning of the year, but he has formed a solid partnership with his linemates Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. He is on pace for 27 goals, and there is an argument to be made to extend him.
Charlie Coyle could also be a trade candidate. After setting a career-high with 60 points last season, he has struggled offensively this year, with only 20 points in 60 games. The Weymouth native does have trade protection on his contract, so he would likely need to agree to a destination if he were to be moved.
Regardless of what happens over the coming days, it’s become clear that this Bruins roster needs a shake-up. With a roster that is underperforming at the NHL level, as well as a thin prospect pool, it appears that Boston’s course of action over the coming days should be building toward the future.
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