After a 10-day All-Star Break, it was more of the same for the Boston Bruins. Losing three of their final four games before the break, they picked up where they left off with a frustrating 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden on Feb. 11. On Feb. 14, the Bruins rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars on a David Pastrnak goal after they killed off a penalty to split their first two games after the break.
Not only was the news not good on the ice, but also off of it. In this edition of Bruins Weekly, we will discuss the setback some injured players have had, how the early start to the trade deadline is affecting the Black and Gold, and more.
DeBrusk & Nosek Still Not Ready
Before the 10-day break, coach Jim Montgomery said that he expected forward Jake DeBrusk back in the lineup against the Capitals, but the 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft missed the game and then the following game on Feb. 14 against the Stars. Now, the first-year Bruins coach hopes to have him back for the second and final game on the quick two-game road trip against the Nashville Predators if his trump and foot are healed.
“His thumb is 100 percent,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s just we haven’t seen the imaging yet that will say we’re comfortable putting him back in…same thing with [Tomas] Nosek. We don’t want to take the risk. We knew before we played Toronto…we got the last imaging, we knew he wasn’t gonna be ready for Saturday.
“We’re hoping for Tuesday but we’re not gonna take any chances. If he’s not ready for Nashville, we’re not gonna go then either. We do think it should be by Nashville because I think it gets us to six weeks by that day. That’s the thought but he’s not there yet medically.”
Related: Boston Bruins 2022 Draft Class Midseason Check-In
The Bruins are hoping that getting DeBrusk back can help in a couple of areas that have been a struggle during their skid where they have lost four out of five games. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron have not produced as well as they did with their right wing in the lineup and the first power play unit has struggled as badly as it has in a couple of seasons without their net-front presence.
Tomas Nosek suffered a fractured foot in January against the New York Rangers and tried getting back on skates recently, but Montgomery said that things didn’t go well.
“He skated one day. It didn’t go well, so he’s off ice,” said Montgomery. “We’re gonna wait a little bit.”
Trent Frederic has recently centered the fourth line with A.J. Greer and Jakub Lauko, who did not play after a second-period defensive zone turnover led to what turned out to be the game-winning goal by Garnet Hathaway. It is unclear when Nosek, one of the Bruins’ better penalty-killing forwards, will be able to return.
Trade Market Heating up & Bruins Appear to Be Active
The action ahead of the 2023 trade deadline has begun a month early and both big movies affected the Bruins. Bo Horvat was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders on Jan. 30 and the Bruins had a lot of interest in him to address not only a short-term, but also a long-term solution at center in the top-six. On Feb. 9, two potential depth pieces for the Black and Gold went from the St. Louis Blues went to the Rangers, in forward Vladimir Tarasanko and defenseman Miko Nikkola. Jakob Chychrun, the Arizona Coyotes defenseman that a lot of teams would like to have, including the Bruins, is someone who is expected to be moved before the deadline. He would be a very nice depth piece for the Boston defense.
After missing out on some big names already, general manager (GM) Don Sweeney will now turn his attention to other potential pieces. Defenseman Luke Schenn has been linked to the Bruins, while forwards Max Domi and Andreas Anthasiou of the Chicago Blackhawks are options. Blues forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Ivan Barbashev are going to most likely be available, while Sweeney could look to make a big splash and acquire Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks. Several other Eastern Conference contenders have been linked to Meier as well as acquiring him could shift the balance of power in a loaded conference.
Related: Bruins Have Some Good Rental Options at 2023 Trade Deadline
Sweeney has done some of his best work at the trade deadline. He’s always made a move, a big one or a minor one, to improve the roster for the postseason. This season his team has the best NHL record at 40-8-5 and their play when fully healthy has told him that this team is worth going all-in for. If there is a silver lining to their recent slump, it’s that it is happening before the trade deadline and needs can be addressed. Teams can never have enough depth at forward and on defense for the long grind that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bruins Week Ahead
- Thursday: at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.
- Saturday: vs. New York Islanders, 5 p.m.
- Monday: vs. Ottawa Senators, 1 p.m.
