Boston Bruins 2024-2025 Roster & Salary Cap Discussion III

[Sheppy]

He would be good, but I also really like Berkley Catton and Tij Iginla.


Would a Frederic for Mercer swap be fair value?

I think Mercer is a superior player. Bruins would have to add.

 

[dafoomie]

Florida is doing very well with speed and skill.

Florida hasn't had to face another team who can wear down their own speed and skill and defensemen the way they can with Tkachuk and Bennett leading the way. The Bruins tried doing that to Barkov for about 5 minutes until they simply took out Marchand.

 

[bbfan419]

I think Mercer is a superior player. Bruins would have to add.

Probably, but Mercer will get a raise this year, so Frederic would save them some cap space and he is reportedly the type of player they are looking to add, maybe you add a Merkulov to the deal?

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Florida hasn't had to face another team who can wear down their own speed and skill and defensemen the way they can with Tkachuk and Bennett leading the way. The Bruins tried doing that to Barkov for about 5 minutes until they simply took out Marchand.

Ok but that isn’t what you were talking about.

 

[GordonHowe]

I completely agree with him as usual. Marchand articulated that point perfectly after the Bennett hit when he said, "That's why you see teams go the distance with a big D-corps and physical teams, and it's why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far." What did they talk about at the press conference? Speed and skill! They still don't get it.

Mick's point was that it can't just be Peeke on the 3rd pair and Maroon on the 4th line, on the fringes, it has to come from the top, not every single guy but throughout the lineup. The postseason is a war of attrition and if you're not attriting the other side you're losing.

For the life of me, honestly, I don't know why Sweeney, and by extension Neely - who, if anyone, should understand the imperative of physical and mental toughness - simply do not get it.

This is harsh, but the Stockholm Twins inherited a loser mentality from mentor Sinden.

They are losers.

Yes, Harry won a Cup in 1970, was a great coach for that time, and for a while one of the best managers in the league.

Yet, shall we say, as GM, when push came to shove the Bruins were always at least two or three players away from being an actual contender, to include the late 1970s clubs.

Just making the playoffs and being "competitive" was good enough for Harry, because it was good enough for Jacobs. As long as the money was rolling in and the fannies were in the seats all was well.

I remember in the early 90s. I was reading The Hockey News.

Another general manager opined, perceptively, "Harry doesn't play to win. Harry plays not to lose."

Again, the only time the old man did anything was when Bruins fans finally started voting with their feet. That's when he finally kicked Sinden upstairs and O'Connell to the curb.

The only time Jacob's evinced ANY interest in improving the club was when the bottom line was threatened.

Until the old man moves on, nothing will change.

Why will nothing change?

Because Boston Bruins fans are loyal to a fault. Specifically, and I don't mean to be a jerk, season tickets holders who put up with this garbage.

My understanding is that ticket prices have risen almost every season, and going forward, I believe they will go up something crazy like 9% next season.

If I am wrong about this last, please inform.

Mr. Burns has no incentive whatever to change things for the better as long as the gravy train rolls on.

He will have to pass from the scene before genuine, systemic change for the better occurs. That change will not occur under Neely and Sweeney.

I like Charlie, and I think he's trying to do the right thing.

But I hope he doesn't believe that regular season success and one round or two of playoff gate is enough, or fair to fans like you and me. I hope he's better than that. I think he is. He went to BC. He knows what people think of his father.

I dream of Zdeno Chara as General Manager of the Boston Bruins.

And if you think that's outlandish, you don't know anything about Z.

All Bruins fans want, all they've ever wanted, is heart, hard work and players who will go through a wall for each other.

"Fancy doesn't make it in Boston," observed Derek Sanderson. "They want tough."

Finally, speed, skill, and physicality are not mutually exclusive.

Look at Florida.

Look at any Cup winner of the last 10 or 15 years. You could argue with a straight face that the Gretzky-era Oilers had all three.

How many times must this point be made?

"Is there a chair here I can talk to?"

"Fire Sweeney into the sun" indeed. Neely close behind.

 

[GordonHowe]

If that is the case you'd think he'd realize he's f***ing the team if he doesn't.

Why should Ullmark care? And by the way I'm sure he does.

Linus seems like a good guy. If he can exit without rancor, doubtless that's his preference.

But he doesn't owe Don Sweeney anything.

It's a business. Which is the first thing Sweeney would tell you if you poked him with sodium pentothal.

That would be an interesting exercise, by the way.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

For the life of me, honestly, I don't know why Sweeney, and by extension Neely - who, if anyone, should understand the imperative of physical and mental toughness - simply do not get it.

This is harsh, but the Stockholm Twins inherited a loser mentality from mentor Sinden.

They are losers.

Yes, Harry won a Cup in 1970, was a great coach for that time, and for a while one of the best general managers in the league.

Yet, shall we say, as GM, when push came to shove the Bruins were always at least two or three players away from being an actual contender, to include the late 1970s clubs.

Just making the playoffs and being "competitive" was good enough for Harry, because it was good enough for Jacobs. As long as the money was rolling in and the fannies were in the seats all was well.

I remember in the early 90s. I was reading The Hockey News.

Another general manager opined, perceptively, that "Harry doesn't play to win. Harry plays not to lose."

Again, the only time the old man did anything was when Bruins fans finally started voting with their feet. That's when he finally kicked Sinden upstairs and O'Connell to the curb.

The only time Jacob's evinced ANY interest in improving the club was when the bottom line was threatened.

Until the old man moves on, nothing will change.

Why will nothing change?

Because Boston Bruins fans are loyal to a fault. Specifically, and I don't mean to be a jerk, season tickets holders who put up with this garbage.

My understanding is that ticket prices have risen almost every season, and going forward, I believe they will go up something crazy like 9% next season.

If I am wrong about this last, please inform.

Mr. Burns has no incentive whatever to change things for the better as long as the gravy train rolls on.

He will have to pass from the scene before genuine, systemic change for the better occurs.

I like Charlie, and I think he's trying to do the right thing.

But I hope he doesn't believe that regular season success and one round or two of playoff gate is enough, or fair to fans like you and me. I hope he's better than that. I think he is. He went to BC. He knows what people think of his father.

I dream of Zdeno Chara as general manager of the Boston Bruins.

And if you think that's outlandish, you don't know anything about Z.

All Bruins fans want, all they've ever wanted, is effort, heart, hard work and players who will go through a wall for each other.

"Fancy doesn't make it in Boston," observed Derek Sanderson. "They want "tough.* "

Finally, speed, skill, and physicality are not mutually exclusive. Look at Florida. Look at any Cup winner of the last 10 or 15 years. You could argue with a straight face that the Gretzky era oilers had all three.

How many times does this point have to be made? Is there a chair here I could talk to?

"Fire Sweeney into the sun" indeed. Neely right behind.

Feel like I read this exact same post 20 times a season and I still can’t figure out how you truly feel about Jacobs/Sinden/Neely/Sweeney

 

[dafoomie]

Ok but that isn’t what you were talking about.

Refer to my last sentence. You certainly need skill players, even the lunchpail era Bruins had Ratelle, McNab, and Middleton. Other than at center, I didn't see a lack of speed and skill. I saw it neutralized in much the same way last year's roster was. What they lack are skill players like Tkachuk and Bennett and Montour who will wear down defensemen to create those openings, and who will not pass on any opportunity to hurt a vulnerable player. The playoffs are about having both, Tampa proved it, Florida proves it, Vegas proved it.

Florida has benefited enormously from simply injuring players when the opportunity arose and has faced no repercussions for it. Vegas beat them by doing the same, Kolesar on Tkachuk, Barbashev on Gudas, Stephenson on Cousins. Attrition.

 

[GordonHowe]

Refer to my last sentence. You certainly need skill players, even the lunchpail era Bruins had Ratelle, McNab, and Middleton. Other than at center, I didn't see a lack of speed and skill. I saw it neutralized in much the same way last year's roster was. What they lack are skill players like Tkachuk and Bennett and Montour who will wear down defensemen to create those openings, and who will not pass on any opportunity to hurt a vulnerable player. The playoffs are about having both, Tampa proved it, Florida proves it, Vegas proved it.

Florida has benefited enormously from simply injuring players when the opportunity arose and has faced no repercussions for it. Vegas beat them by doing the same, Kolesar on Tkachuk, Barbashev on Gudas, Stephenson on Cousins. Attrition.

100%

 

[DKH]

How exactly are the Bruins getting Necas? Carlo? Lohrei plus? Poitras plus?

UFA 2025

 

[DKH]

Florida is doing very well with speed and skill.

They live at that intersection of speed/skill and physical/dirty

To bad Marchand doesn’t bury that breakaway, Monty doesn’t let his kid’s lineup start game 5, or they blow third period leads in game 6 and 7

There would be no intersection today

Very fortunate

I do like Paul Maurice I dislike Florida enough I want them to come up empty

They as of today are on a collision course with Edmonton

Watching Florida try to hurt McDavid will be interesting but they may go after Bouchard - but he’s good sized

My guess they will mentally attack Skinner with words and a lot of close unnecessary traffic

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Refer to my last sentence. You certainly need skill players, even the lunchpail era Bruins had Ratelle, McNab, and Middleton. Other than at center, I didn't see a lack of speed and skill. I saw it neutralized in much the same way last year's roster was. What they lack are skill players like Tkachuk and Bennett and Montour who will wear down defensemen to create those openings, and who will not pass on any opportunity to hurt a vulnerable player. The playoffs are about having both, Tampa proved it, Florida proves it, Vegas proved it.

Florida has benefited enormously from simply injuring players when the opportunity arose and has faced no repercussions for it. Vegas beat them by doing the same, Kolesar on Tkachuk, Barbashev on Gudas, Stephenson on Cousins. Attrition.

That’s the ratty part. I don’t call what Lomberg did to Vesey “physicality”. That’s cheap, cowardly hockey and not what I’d ever want to see from my hockey team.

 

[goldenblack]

Marchand Lindholm Coyle
Pastrnak Zacha Necas
Frederic Geekie Brazzeau

No disrespect to FBHOF Marchy, but the sooner he's a 3rd liner for us the better. Jamie Benn is a third liner now and that team is DEEP for it. He'd still be on my PP1 or PP2. But I'd love to see his career extended by moving him there.

 

[UncleRico]

For the life of me, honestly, I don't know why Sweeney, and by extension Neely - who, if anyone, should understand the imperative of physical and mental toughness - simply do not get it.

This is harsh, but the Stockholm Twins inherited a loser mentality from mentor Sinden.

They are losers.

Yes, Harry won a Cup in 1970, was a great coach for that time, and for a while one of the best managers in the league.

Yet, shall we say, as GM, when push came to shove the Bruins were always at least two or three players away from being an actual contender, to include the late 1970s clubs.

Just making the playoffs and being "competitive" was good enough for Harry, because it was good enough for Jacobs. As long as the money was rolling in and the fannies were in the seats all was well.

I remember in the early 90s. I was reading The Hockey News.

Another general manager opined, perceptively, "Harry doesn't play to win. Harry plays not to lose."

Again, the only time the old man did anything was when Bruins fans finally started voting with their feet. That's when he finally kicked Sinden upstairs and O'Connell to the curb.

The only time Jacob's evinced ANY interest in improving the club was when the bottom line was threatened.

Until the old man moves on, nothing will change.

Why will nothing change?

Because Boston Bruins fans are loyal to a fault. Specifically, and I don't mean to be a jerk, season tickets holders who put up with this garbage.

My understanding is that ticket prices have risen almost every season, and going forward, I believe they will go up something crazy like 9% next season.

If I am wrong about this last, please inform.

Mr. Burns has no incentive whatever to change things for the better as long as the gravy train rolls on.

He will have to pass from the scene before genuine, systemic change for the better occurs. That change will not occur under Neely and Sweeney.

I like Charlie, and I think he's trying to do the right thing.

But I hope he doesn't believe that regular season success and one round or two of playoff gate is enough, or fair to fans like you and me. I hope he's better than that. I think he is. He went to BC. He knows what people think of his father.

I dream of Zdeno Chara as General Manager of the Boston Bruins.

And if you think that's outlandish, you don't know anything about Z.

All Bruins fans want, all they've ever wanted, is heart, hard work and players who will go through a wall for each other.

"Fancy doesn't make it in Boston," observed Derek Sanderson. "They want tough."

Finally, speed, skill, and physicality are not mutually exclusive.

Look at Florida.

Look at any Cup winner of the last 10 or 15 years. You could argue with a straight face that the Gretzky-era Oilers had all three.

How many times must this point be made?

"Is there a chair here I can talk to?"

"Fire Sweeney into the sun" indeed. Neely close behind.

Please no to chara as a future GM. This organization already has far too many former bruins in front office/coaching/scouting roles. I actually feel like it’s becoming an issue in forming different opinions and bringing in different play styles of players. It seems every year this teams play style mirrors the previous year and they have the same issues.

I would really like them to starting bringing in more outside perspectives.

 

[mjhfb]

Please no to chara as a future GM. This organization already has far too many former bruins in front office/coaching/scouting roles. I actually feel like it’s becoming an issue in forming different opinions and bringing in different play styles of players. It seems every year this teams play style mirrors the previous year and they have the same issues.

I would really like them to starting bringing in more outside perspectives.

I believe many retired legends just want to go out on top and stay away.
I bet there are days when Francis or Yzerman wish they did.

 

[UncleRico]

I believe many retired legends just want to go out on top and stay away.
I bet there are days when Francis or Yzerman wish they did.

It’s not even about that to me. I just want more perspectives in the room. I feel like every player we bring in is relatively the same mold. Same with drafting. The only person with a little grit they’ve drafted is Trent Frederic and he’s been kind of neutered. Besides that it’s just been the occasional 4th line grinder.

Just seems like there’s too many bruins management “yes men” that end up with the same roster construction every year.

 

[Number8]

Florida is doing very well with speed and skill.

Because they are a unique version of speed and skill. A physical and nasty version.

 

[Gee Wally]

Because they are a unique version of speed and skill. A physical and nasty version.

Yep……as I said earlier, with a purpose.

 

[bruins19]

For the life of me, honestly, I don't know why Sweeney, and by extension Neely - who, if anyone, should understand the imperative of physical and mental toughness - simply do not get it.

This is harsh, but the Stockholm Twins inherited a loser mentality from mentor Sinden.

They are losers.

Yes, Harry won a Cup in 1970, was a great coach for that time, and for a while one of the best managers in the league.

Yet, shall we say, as GM, when push came to shove the Bruins were always at least two or three players away from being an actual contender, to include the late 1970s clubs.

Just making the playoffs and being "competitive" was good enough for Harry, because it was good enough for Jacobs. As long as the money was rolling in and the fannies were in the seats all was well.

I remember in the early 90s. I was reading The Hockey News.

Another general manager opined, perceptively, "Harry doesn't play to win. Harry plays not to lose."

Again, the only time the old man did anything was when Bruins fans finally started voting with their feet. That's when he finally kicked Sinden upstairs and O'Connell to the curb.

The only time Jacob's evinced ANY interest in improving the club was when the bottom line was threatened.

Until the old man moves on, nothing will change.

Why will nothing change?

Because Boston Bruins fans are loyal to a fault. Specifically, and I don't mean to be a jerk, season tickets holders who put up with this garbage.

My understanding is that ticket prices have risen almost every season, and going forward, I believe they will go up something crazy like 9% next season.

If I am wrong about this last, please inform.

Mr. Burns has no incentive whatever to change things for the better as long as the gravy train rolls on.

He will have to pass from the scene before genuine, systemic change for the better occurs. That change will not occur under Neely and Sweeney.

I like Charlie, and I think he's trying to do the right thing.

But I hope he doesn't believe that regular season success and one round or two of playoff gate is enough, or fair to fans like you and me. I hope he's better than that. I think he is. He went to BC. He knows what people think of his father.

I dream of Zdeno Chara as General Manager of the Boston Bruins.

And if you think that's outlandish, you don't know anything about Z.

All Bruins fans want, all they've ever wanted, is heart, hard work and players who will go through a wall for each other.

"Fancy doesn't make it in Boston," observed Derek Sanderson. "They want tough."

Finally, speed, skill, and physicality are not mutually exclusive.

Look at Florida.

Look at any Cup winner of the last 10 or 15 years. You could argue with a straight face that the Gretzky-era Oilers had all three.

How many times must this point be made?

"Is there a chair here I can talk to?"

"Fire Sweeney into the sun" indeed. Neely close behind.

Lots of great points in this post. Z as GM is intriguing.

 

[TCB]

If the Bruins really want Necas it may take a Carlo, all depends on the Canes ability to re-up their current UFA D-Man. As its looking like right now, D could be exactly what they want in return if their not able to come to terms with them.

 

[Hookslide]

You don't think it could possibly affect the locker room psyche if everyone on his team is aware he's potentially inhibiting upper management from bettering the team?

It should have no effect on the team, players have a right to have a team honor their contract, much like a player should hold up their end of a contract. In my opinion, Ullmark needs to be careful how proceeds this off season, if the Bruins hold onto him and Sway, plays the bulk of the games does the backup label come into play for a soon to be 31 year old, a team that trades for him will want to sign him and he would hold more value to them.

 

[Oates2Neely]

For the life of me, honestly, I don't know why Sweeney, and by extension Neely - who, if anyone, should understand the imperative of physical and mental toughness - simply do not get it.

This is harsh, but the Stockholm Twins inherited a loser mentality from mentor Sinden.

They are losers.

Yes, Harry won a Cup in 1970, was a great coach for that time, and for a while one of the best managers in the league.

Yet, shall we say, as GM, when push came to shove the Bruins were always at least two or three players away from being an actual contender, to include the late 1970s clubs.

Just making the playoffs and being "competitive" was good enough for Harry, because it was good enough for Jacobs. As long as the money was rolling in and the fannies were in the seats all was well.

I remember in the early 90s. I was reading The Hockey News.

Another general manager opined, perceptively, "Harry doesn't play to win. Harry plays not to lose."

Again, the only time the old man did anything was when Bruins fans finally started voting with their feet. That's when he finally kicked Sinden upstairs and O'Connell to the curb.

The only time Jacob's evinced ANY interest in improving the club was when the bottom line was threatened.

Until the old man moves on, nothing will change.

Why will nothing change?

Because Boston Bruins fans are loyal to a fault. Specifically, and I don't mean to be a jerk, season tickets holders who put up with this garbage.

My understanding is that ticket prices have risen almost every season, and going forward, I believe they will go up something crazy like 9% next season.

If I am wrong about this last, please inform.

Mr. Burns has no incentive whatever to change things for the better as long as the gravy train rolls on.

He will have to pass from the scene before genuine, systemic change for the better occurs. That change will not occur under Neely and Sweeney.

I like Charlie, and I think he's trying to do the right thing.

But I hope he doesn't believe that regular season success and one round or two of playoff gate is enough, or fair to fans like you and me. I hope he's better than that. I think he is. He went to BC. He knows what people think of his father.

I dream of Zdeno Chara as General Manager of the Boston Bruins.

And if you think that's outlandish, you don't know anything about Z.

All Bruins fans want, all they've ever wanted, is heart, hard work and players who will go through a wall for each other.

"Fancy doesn't make it in Boston," observed Derek Sanderson. "They want tough."

Finally, speed, skill, and physicality are not mutually exclusive.

Look at Florida.

Look at any Cup winner of the last 10 or 15 years. You could argue with a straight face that the Gretzky-era Oilers had all three.

How many times must this point be made?

"Is there a chair here I can talk to?"

"Fire Sweeney into the sun" indeed. Neely close behind.

If being a tough former Bruin is all it took to be a great front office executive than this Bruins team would’ve won multiple Cups because there weren’t many Bruins tougher than Cam Neely

 

[neelynugs]

Wanting to play center, and actually being good at it at the NHL level are 2 different things.

Right now, I don't see Necas as a top 6 Center and neither does Carolina. Not sure why people are so certain he can fill that role. If you wanna play him as a winger, fine by me.

it's not a certainty by any stretch, but definitely worth the shot. at worst he's a really good RW, which we still need.
personally i'd get both necas and lindholm. that would be a nice offseason.

 

[Gee Wally]

Meh….

MSN

www.msn.com

The Colorado Avalanche are likely to make changes to their bottom six this offseason. Andrew Cogliano, Brandon Duhaime, Yakov Trenin, and Joel Kiviranta are all depth forwards who could hit the open market. Jonathan Drouin, who found a nice home in the Avalanche's top six, will also become an unrestricted free agent if the club does not re-sign him by July 1.


Given the Avalanche's current cap situation, the Central Division club will probably target bargain players for their bottom six. When looking at this year's free agency class, one player who should grab their attention is Boston Bruins winger James van Riemsdyk.

van Riemsdyk, 35, quietly had a solid season for the Bruins in 2023-24. In 71 games, the 2007 second-overall pick posted 11 goals, 38 points, and a plus-7 rating. When noting that he only signed for $1 million, he proved to be a valuable depth addition for Boston. He could be the very same for Colorado.

van Riemsdyk is 15 years and 1,011 games into his NHL career. He has yet to lift the Stanley Cup, so it is possible that he would be open to the idea of signing with a true contender like the Avalanche.

If the Avalanche signed van Riemsdyk, he would be an option for their third line. In addition, he would be a solid addition to their second power-play unit because of his strong net-front presence ability.

Ultimately, with the Avalanche needing more forward depth, they could consider a veteran like JVR. At a cheap cap hit, he could be a worthwhile addition to an Avalanche team that could use a bit more secondary production.

 

[Gee Wally]

Tomorrow’s Globe:

The Bruins will have money available when NHL free agency opens July 1, but how should they spend it? - The Boston Globe

The Bruins haven’t added impactful offense via free agency since the summer of 2006, when Marc Savard, about to turn 29, came aboard.

www.bostonglobe.com

For Bruins fans, the focus of general manager Don Sweeney’s fixing this offseason is up front, the perpetual hunt for goal scoring. All of which will group the Bruins alongside at least a couple dozen other NHL franchises in need of the same thing when free agency opens July 1.
Important to note off the top that the draft each year feeds, at best, three or four gifted scorers into the Original 32. Figuring an average career of 5-6 years, that tells us the NHL has some 20-25 players who can be considered game-changing goal scorers. Those guys exist and they demand a ton of dough.
David Pastrnak, one of the truly gifted, now makes $11.25 million a year, the going rate for that select group blessed with deadly mitts. Florida’s Sam Reinhart (57 goals/94 points), another of the gifted, is poised to cash in as an unrestricted free agent. If the Panthers allow him to get to market, a big if, underlying demand is such that he should see multiple offers beginning at seven years, $70 million.

Maybe Sweeney wins that money toss. If so, bravo. The Bruins have the cash to get it done, and the need was there during their playoff run. Just keep in mind that Reinhart, 28, is walking into a market so hot that his offers could soar upward of the $13.25 million the Maple Leafs will pay Auston Matthews next season. Only one thing is certain: There will be pain.

The Bruins haven’t added impactful offense via free agency since the summer of 2006, when Marc Savard, about to turn 29, came aboard to co-chair the No. 1 pivot spot with a 21-year-old Patrice Bergeron.

Savard was never a gifted goal scorer, pre- or post-Boston, but he arrived as one of the game’s coveted setup artists. His ample assists helped him average just under 90 points for his first three years on Causeway Street, the kind of numbers that even the uber-talented Bergeron never approached across his Hall-of-Fame-to-be career. Could there be a better case to highlight the fact that there’s a whole lot more to succeeding at the No. 1 center position than point production?

Beyond the hunt for the hot hand in front, another fix for the Black and Gold, one potentially easier to fit into the budget, would be a key alteration to the back end aimed at wringing more production out of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm.

McAvoy still needs to channel his shooter’s ego — if it’s in there to tap — and coach Jim Montgomery has to prod him more into the offensive scheme, activating him off the right defense spot for the attack. McAvoy is a bold, imposing force when wheeling with the puck on his stick in the back end and neutral zone. With those legs and stick skills, he could cause havoc in the offensive end, at even strength and on the power play.

Once across the blue line, McAvoy is first and foremost a distributor, then a reluctant shooter and a far-too-infrequent dynamo charging to the net or wrapping around the cage for feeds into the middle. He has all the giddyup in the world. Now’s the time to see his beast-mode gumption. If not now, when?

The smooth, skilled, earnest Lindholm saw his offensive production cut in half this season, from 10-43–53 to 3-23-26. Those latter numbers are far more in line with the career average he carried here from Anaheim. Like McAvoy, the Bruins need more from him, ideally the 2002-23 version of himself, a player confident again in moving pucks up ice, maintaining offensive-zone pressure, pocketing points when they’re available. He doesn’t have to be McAvoy Lite, but just a return to Hampus Best.

Overall, the Bruins’ blue-liners saw their point production drop by more than 26 percent this season, from 39-166–205 in 2022-23 to 31-120–151. Half of that 54-point dip could be found in Lindholm’s drop from 53 to 26.

Bruins defensemen ranked a lowly 27th league-wide with 151 points, far off pace-setters Colorado (62-179-241), Edmonton (48-167–215), Vancouver (37-171–208), and the Rangers (44-157-201).

Points from the back end don’t necessarily a Stanley Cup champion make, but the Oilers and Rangers entered the weekend with that dream still on their sticks. Dallas defensemen (183 points) ranked 12th, with Florida (171) 18th.

Of the five teams whose defensemen collected fewer points than Boston’s this season, only Washington (135) qualified for the playoffs. The Rangers then mopped the floor with the Capitals, 4-0, in Round 1.

Be it by trade or the free agent market, acquiring another left-shot blue-liner could go a long way in increasing the Bruins’ offensive pop. It would be a guy to switch in and out of the Nos. 1 and 2 pairings with Lindholm, working with McAvoy or Brandon Carlo as right-side runningmate.

One in-house answer here could be Mason “Let-’er-rip” Lohrei, fresh off logging an impressive rookie season, but his work was not a sample size big enough to feel assured he could be the one who makes for a top-four reset.

Some potential defense targets to keep in mind now with free agent roughly a month away: Brady Skjei (LD), Chris Tanev (RD), Shayne Gostisbehere (LD/RD), Joel Edmundson (LD/RD), and Brandon Montour (RD). Skjei and Edmundson, their tool kits considerably different, could offer the best answers in the overall scheme to help McAvoy and Lindholm lift their offensive effectiveness.

Skjei (6 feet 3 inches, 210 pounds) looks ideal for this role. He is 30, exiting a deal with the Hurricanes that carried a $5.4 million cap hit, and just put up a career-best 13-34–47. Overall, his game could make him a seamless fit in the top four. Provided bidding doesn’t run off to crazyland, the Bruins could make it work at around $6 million.

Edmundson’s game is not nearly as offensively robust, but his size (6-5, 220) and physical play could buy McAvoy some space on the No. 1 pairing. In situations where Lindholm-McAvoy ride together, the Edmundson-Carlo duo would offer shutdown length and heft. About to turn 31, Edmundson finished the season with the Leafs on a deal carrying a $3.5 million AAV. In his final two seasons with the Blues, including the 2018-19 Cup season, he averaged 113 shots on net and 20 minutes of ice time. McAvoy hit the net 133 times this season, followed by Lindholm (99).