In this edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, many have suggested Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets may be an option to trade for if Patrice Bergeron does indeed retire. Meanwhile, the Bruins organization is continuing to leave the door open for a potential David Krejci return. In other news, Bruce Cassidy is very much on the hot seat after Cam Neely said the team needs to make some changes moving forward. Last, but not least, Brad Marchand had some fun on Twitter recently, firing back at a blogger who suggested the team may be wise to consider moving him this offseason.
Bruins Looking to Add Scheifele?
As mentioned, there is plenty of chatter surrounding Bergeron and whether or not he will retire. The Bruins will certainly give him time to make up his mind, but if he does choose to walk away from the game, it will leave a massive hole in the Bruins’ center-ice depth chart. One player that they could look to add as a replacement, however, is Scheifele.
Though Scheifele is no where in the same ball park when it comes to the defensive side of the game as Bergeron, he is an elite offensive talent. This season, he managed 29 goals and 70 points in just 67 games in what fans considered a down year for him. That alone goes to show just how much talent he has in his game.
While Scheifele does have a modified no-trade clause in his contract, he made comments at the end of the season that suggest he may want to be moved from the Jets. If that does turn out to be the case, he may very well welcome a trade to Boston, a team who still has several great pieces even without Bergeron. By no means would he come cheap, but with two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of just $6.125 million, it is certainly worth looking into for general manager Don Sweeney.
Krejci Return Still a Possibility
One of the biggest things the Bruins missed this season was the always-consistent Krejci centering their second line. After playing nearly 1,000 games in a Bruins uniform, the 36-year-old chose to return and play the 2021-22 season in his home country of Czech Republic. However, now that the season is over, there has been talk about him returning to the NHL for the 2022-23 campaign. Though he admitted he hasn’t talked to him recently, Sweeney did suggest a return is a possibility.
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“David Pastrnak, along with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, have travelled over to the World Championships and will play,” Sweeney said. “Knowing how close they are, I’m sure there will be a conversation that maybe filters back to me. I certainly kept in touch with David and his camp throughout the year. He had hard decisions to make in terms of the promise he had made to his family overall. Just ultimately decided to stay and see it through. I’m sure at some point in time if he decides to return, then hopefully I get a call and we can have a conversation. But I have not gone down that path for several months.”
Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now brought up the point that a Krejci return may be enough to convince Bergeron to re-sign as well, as they are extremely close with one another, having played over a decade together. While it remains to be seen, it is believed that if he does choose to make a comeback to the NHL, the Bruins are the only team he is interested in signing with.
Cassidy’s Future Unclear
After a first-round exit to the Carolina Hurricanes this year, many have spoken up about their belief that Cassidy should be dismissed as the Bruins’ head coach. While a decision has yet to be made, it does seem like a serious possibility given Neely’s recent comments.
“I think we do have to look at making some changes as far as how we play and the way we do some things,” Neely said. “I think Bruce is a fantastic coach. He’s brought a lot of success to this organization. I like him as a coach. So, we’ll see where it goes. I do think we need to make some changes, and I think Bruce, a couple days ago, alluded to that. So, we’ll see where that goes.”
That isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement suggesting he will be back, though to this point nothing further has been said. Despite the disappointing exit, it is worth noting that Cassidy helped lead this team to a 51-26-5 record on the season, which marked his sixth with the club. Expect to hear more on this situation in the coming days.
Marchand Pokes Fun at Blogger on Twitter
Shortly after their elimination from the playoffs, a Bruins blogger by the name of Ian McLaren suggested the team may be wise to trade Marchand this summer. His reasoning was that with Bergeron potentially retiring, their window may be closed and it may be smart for management to trade the 34-year-old while his value is still extremely high.
McLaren did note that it was a “medium hot take,” but made it clear he believes it is an idea the Bruins should explore. Marchand seemed to disagree, replying with a simple yet effective message of “tough take.”
This certainly isn’t the first time Marchand has called out media members and fans alike on social media, and likely won’t be the last. As big of a pest as he can be at times on the ice, he enjoys to create a stir like this off it as well.
Looking Ahead for Bruins
Given their elimination, the Bruins have a long summer ahead to take some time off and come into the 2022-23 season healthy. As far as player changes go, we likely won’t see any of that for some time yet. The one big thing to pay attention to is the situation involving Cassidy, as many are unsure of whether he will stay or go. While that remains uncertain, the one positive is that this will be a very interesting offseason for this organization.
