It’s no secret around the NHL that general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins have underperformed throughout this season. Well, at least by their standards, especially if you consider the fact that they won a combined 112 games in their last two seasons and have only won 24 going into Saturday’s game. Although the Bruins hold onto one of the final two playoff spots, it’s not as if their struggles haven’t reared their ugly heads at the most inopportune times.
Related: Should the Bruins Panic About Their Slow Start?
Boston has already fired their head coach this season and they also spent plenty of money in the offseason with their signings of Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm. Over halfway through the season, the Bruins have already tied their tally for the most losses for last season as a whole. Earlier in the season, I wondered if their slow start was something to worry about. I said no. Now, the narrative has changed. It’s time to worry.
At this point, there are some clear holes that need to be filled if the Bruins want to actually be successful come playoff time, and by success, I mean winning more than just one round of games. Here’s what they must do to improve before the playoffs.
Objective #1: Acquire a Top-Six Forward Who Can Score at the Deadline
While the Bruins do have some scoring throughout the lineup, they only have six goal-scorers in double-digits thus far and only half of them are on top lines consistently. On top of all of that, Boston has shuffled its lines so many times this season that it’s hard to keep track of who plays where. However, one thing is for sure: Morgan Geekie and Justin Brazeau (12 and 10 goals, respectively) are two players who have not played above the third line this season.
One type of player the Bruins should look for is a forward who consistently plays in the top six lines and also scores goals at a consistent rate. Players they could look at would be Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues or Filip Forsberg from the Nashville Predators, both of whom have scored 20 goals or just below it thus far this season.
Now, while neither has been linked to Boston, it would be worth Sweeney’s time to explore if they are available. Acquiring either of those forwards may cause the Bruins to trade Fabian Lysell or Georgii Merkulov or even trade the rights to some players still yet to make their professional debuts. But the reality is that fans in Boston want the team to win now, not wait until prospects like Dean Letourneau or Riley Duran arrive in the NHL.
Objective #2: Acquire a Right-Handed Defenseman at the Deadline
Going into the season, fans thought the left-handed defense was going to be a weakness for the Bruins if they didn’t address it quickly. Boston, of course, addressed it on day one of free agency with their signing of Zadorov. One position that has not been up to par, however, is the Bruins’ right-handed defensemen.
Yes, Charlie McAvoy has had a good season. However, Brandon Carlo and Andrew Peeke have been disappointments. Neither has been awful per se, but Boston should consider being in the market for a right-handed defenseman. Sure, the Bruins have some in the pipeline with Ty Gallagher hoping to sign a contract at the end of the season, but that does not solve the problem at hand. One player they could look at would be Adam Fox.
Fox is a player who is not only a leader with the New York Rangers, but he also plays well in distributing the puck on the ice. Through 48 games, he has 40 points and 37 of them are assists. He has three goals on the season thus far, but given how aggressive Boston has been at taking shots from the point this season, there is a chance he could up his goal numbers as the season goes on.
While Fox, much like Kyrou or Forsberg, has not been linked to the Bruins, he would be a good investment even if it did mean they had to trade a player like the aforementioned Carlo and/or prospects like Frederic Brunet and John Farinacci to bring him in. Like Kyrou and Forsberg though, it would be worth the sacrifice.
Objective #3: Sign Essential Players to Extensions
There are a few players that the Bruins should be considering for an extension before the season ends instead of fighting the rest of the league for their services through free agency. One of those players is Brad Marchand. Marchand is at the tail-end of his career, but if he were to finish his career elsewhere, that would be the biggest tragedy to happen to Boston since David Krejci left to play in Europe for a year.
Worse, Marchand has expressed that he wants to stay in Boston for the rest of his career and it seems every time his contract comes up, talks get stalled very quickly. At least that’s what the reports say.
Another player that they should consider signing to an extension is Geekie. Geekie has played a small, understated role on the team both this season and last after being acquired via free agency in 2023. While he won’t make the stats sheet every night with a goal or an assist, it’s his intangibles that make him a valued asset on the team.
How Long Until the Deadline?
The Bruins have until March 7 to make any moves that involve acquiring players. Maybe it’s time to start talking to other teams now and see what the market is like.
