The Bruins have just over 30 games left in what has certainly been an up-and-down 2024-25 regular season. They’re currently third in the Atlantic Division with a 24-20-6 record. The season has left a lot of questions in people’s minds and has presented a crossroads for the team and organization: are they really that close to competing for a Stanley Cup or do they need to do some bigger retooling and restructuring than was thought prior to this season?
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No matter where someone falls on the debate on the state of the Bruins, there are undeniable changes that need to be made for this team to be competitive, whether that’s this season or next. In order to make those changes, there are a couple of things the organization needs to prioritize over the course of the next three months.
Special Teams
The power play has been an issue for several seasons now, but this is the first season in a while that the Bruins don’t have a top-ten penalty kill. Currently, Boston’s power play is 30th in the league with a 13.4% success rate while the penalty kill is 25th at 75.6%. A team can’t win a Stanley Cup or make a deep playoff run with special teams numbers like that.
Things have looked a bit better in January as guys like David Pastrnak have continued to pick up steam after a slow start to 2024-25. But the Bruins will still go stretches without scoring a goal on the power play. Currently, it’s been three games since they last scored a power play goal (against the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 20). They’ve still found ways to win two out of those three games, but that is not always going to be the case.
This isn’t news to anyone: special teams have been a topic of conversation around this team all season. It’s an obvious priority that needs to be addressed. Now is the time to really start playing with it and throwing everything at the wall. Try different combinations of guys, give opportunities to young players, try new formations, anything to give a spark to this team. The Bruins have too many talented players to be this bad on special teams.
Youth Involvement
The Bruins may have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL thanks to a combination of late picks, and the unremarkable drafting abilities of general manager Don Sweeney. Still, despite that, the team does have some interesting young players who should get more playing time and opportunities in the remaining 30 games of the season.
There are plenty of underperforming veterans on this roster at the moment, and guys like Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and Georgii Merkulov are waiting in the wings. There are few reasons why they shouldn’t be getting more NHL chances this season. Poitras should be playing in the top-six. He’s one of the most exciting young players in the organization and they should be prioritizing his growth in the remainder of the season to help set up future success for the team.
It’s not just about giving young players a spot on the roster for a game or two, but legitimate opportunities to try and succeed. Mason Lohrei, their second-year defenseman, is currently getting a shot to quarterback the first powerplay unit. It’s an area they’ve struggled in all season, so what does the team have to lose by trying out someone new? They need to be doing that more. Give Poitras time on the top power-play unit. Bring up Lysell and Merkulov and give them more than 10 minutes of ice time in a game. The team needs changes, and getting more youth involved is a cheaper option than bringing guys in during free agency or at the trade deadline. It won’t always work out, but you won’t know until you give them a real chance.
All season, the Bruins have been competitive enough to remain in the mix, but not dominant enough to be seen as a real threat for a deep playoff run or Stanley Cup. There really isn’t much the team can lose by prioritizing the development of their young players in the remaining 30 games and giving them more opportunities to make a name for themselves in the NHL.
Hold Onto the First Round Pick
Bruins’ president Cam Neely has recently spoken about how there are two paths the team could take at the trade deadline, one where they are sellers and one where they are buyers. This week, it was also reported that they are interested in pursuing JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. If they are in on a player of his status, one that had over 80 points the last three seasons and over 100 in 2023-24, then that would signal the organization thinks they can be legitimate contenders.
A player of Miller’s caliber would certainly help with a quick “retooling” for this roster as he would bring great benefits, but at what cost and are they truly just one player away from being more competitive? I would argue that they are not one player away from a Stanley Cup and that the cost to get him would be too much for the Bruins in their current state.
Whether they go for Miller or someone else or actually commit to being sellers and resetting for the 2025-26 season, the Bruins should prioritize holding onto their first-round pick in this year’s draft. They need to get some more top-end talent in their prospect pool, and one way to do that is getting a few first-round draft picks. They got one last season after trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators after trading their original first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings the season prior for Tyler Bertuzzi.
The first-round pick is very important for the Bruins this season, particularly since there’s a good shot it will be in the top 20. This is probably not a Stanley Cup-winning team, even if they get a big name at the deadline, so getting a first-round pick and building toward the future will be essential.
Who Are the Bruins?
It’s been hard to define the Bruins this season. They’re pretty middle of the pack when it comes to the standings, flirting between being a playoff team and just missing the spot. They could go on a run and make a deep playoff run, but is that really that likely to happen?
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With 30 games left in the season, the priority above all else should be keeping games interesting but starting to prepare and look to the future. This is not a team that needs to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt again. A couple of changes to the roster (more than just a Miller addition) and improvements made in areas like special teams, and this could be a contender. The team’s priorities for the rest of the season should be focused on laying the building blocks to make those changes this offseason and in 2025-26.
