Something To Build On: Why The 23’-24’ Season Was A Success For The Bruins.
The 23’-24’ Boston Bruins will ultimately be remembered as a team that exceeded expectations following the departure of a number of key players from the year prior. Realistically, there was simply is no way of filling the void created by the departures of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Dmitry Orlov in one off-season.
The emergence of rookies John Beecher(22), Matt Poitras(19), and Mason Lohrei(23), as well as 2nd year talent Jakub Lauko(23) infused the team with young talent. The four youngsters compiled 48 points throughout the season, giving the fans something to be excited about for the future. Poitras and Lohrei stood out as the most impressive of the young group. Poitras was fantastic in the regular season, amassing 15 points in his first 33 NHL games. Unfortunately, the rookie center’s season was ended in January. The return of Poitras will undoubtedly be one of the top stories to follow for Boston in October. Mason Lohrei on the other hand, played half of the season, and missed only 2 of Boston’s 13 playoff games. These rookies helped fill the roster and provide depth for the Bruins, who also pursued a number of free agents in the 23’ off-season.
Mason Lohrei Provided 4 points in 11 games during Boston’s Playoff Run
Lohrei was tied for the team’s 8th best +/- rating during the playoffs, outperforming Charlie McAvoy.
The acquisition of veterans Morgan Geekie, Jesper Boqvist, James Van Riemsdyk, Parker Wotherspoon, and Kevin Shattenkirk(among others), provided a lot of production (especially during the regular season) for the black and gold. Of this group, the only players under contract through the 24’-25’ season are Wotherspoon and Geekie. It is obvious that most of the free agents brought in last off-season were viewed as “bridge” players. These are the kinds of players that help you put a competitive product on the ice without any long-term financial commitment. This is a strategy that makes a lot of sense for the Bruins, who now have significantly more financial maneuverability. In fact, the Bruins are now in a great position financially, with over $20 million in cap space available this off-season. There is little doubt in my mind that big moves are on the horizon. With that in mind, the question becomes: Can the Bruins’ front office be trusted to make the right moves?
Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeney is a figure who I have a lot of mixed feelings about. While he did do a good job in stitching together a good hockey team coming into this year, it remains unclear whether or not Sweeney recognizes the fundamental flaws with his roster construction. Looking back at the immense regular season success of the 22’-23’ campaign, it is obvious that Sweeney isn’t afraid to push his chips to the middle of the table. Where my concerns with Sweeney begin, is whether or not he knows what qualities he needs from guys beyond just their talent on the ice.
The majority of fan’s concerns revolve around the lack of toughness and “balls” on the roster. Boston’s star player David Pastrnak in some ways personifies the team’s lack of ‘cojones’ in the big moments. The hyper-talented winger made an explicit effort to show his toughness against Florida, agreeing to fight (and ultimately receiving a beating from) Matt Tkachuk. Despite having a few awesome moments during Boston’s playoff run, Pastrnak failed to produce the points that the Bruins rely so heavily on. In 13 playoff games, Pastrnak totaled 8 points. Both aging captain Brad Marchand and soon-to-be free agent Jake DeBrusk out-performed the Bruins’ superstar. This is the most alarming part of the Bruins 23’-24’ campaign. I have serious concerns on whether or not the Bruins can ever compete for a cup with Pastrnak as the team’s best player. While the winger showed that he wasn’t afraid to get physical, he has yet to show he can produce points when facing a physically superior opponent.
Another example of this was the deadline acquisition of veteran ‘tough guy’ Pat Maroon. Right away, this trade seemed like a desperate last-second attempt to inject a backbone into a team that was obviously going to struggle in the playoffs. I think it’s clear that the addition of Pat Maroon was a way to conservatively buy in for Don Sweeney. Maroon cost the Bruins very little, which indicates to me that Don Sweeney had tempered expectations for this year’s Bruins squad.
Trade deadline acquisition Pat Maroon provided Boston with a physical edge that the team was greatly lacking…. It just wasn’t enough.
Going forward, Sweeney will need to add multi-faceted talent to the roster. Adding pure skill players is simply not going to work. Watching the Bruins’ second round series against the Matt Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers was a wake up call for me. The best teams in the NHL have stars who are not only willing to get their hands dirty, but also pose a dominant physical threat to the opposition. Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak clearly made an effort to be more physical this spring, but it is clear that the black and gold need to add a physical power forward with proven playoff production.
There are a number of options the Bruins could pursue this offseason, including; Sam Reinhart, Elias Lindholm, Jonathan Marchessault, and Steven Stamkos. As I mentioned before, the Bruins are working with over $20 million in cap space, so a key free agent signing seems very realistic.
Additionally, the stellar play of young goaltender Jermey Swayman should force the Bruins to find a trade partner for 22’-23’ Vezina trophy winning goaltender Linus Ullmark. While It is unclear exactly what Sweeney could fetch in return for the services of the veteran net-minder, his future in Boston is in peril.
To summarize……..
Reasons To Be Optimistic As a Bruins Fan:
Jeremy Swayman has emerged as a top-10 goaltender in the NHL.
Boston has over $20 million in cap space this off-season.
Linus Ullmark is likely to be traded for a semi-valuable piece.
Brad Marchand appears to be a good captain and a strong leader for this team.
Boston is forming a strong young core, centered around Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei.
