Boston is last in the East

[bossram]

This is really the best thing for the franchise (unfortunately). They get a quick influx of elite young talent to immediately add to a prime-age core of Pastrnak, McAvoy, Lindholm, and Swayman. They could bounce back into a new competitive window pretty quick.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Sure it can be a retool, it just won’t be enough

They need a legit 1C, they need a high quality W after Pasta. Depth needs to be retooled, defense needs longterm moves as well

That's true to varying degrees for about 17 teams or more than half the NHL. There are about 5 teams that are actual Cup contenders. Florida, Winnipeg, Dallas, Edmonton & Tampa Bay are it. Everyone else is a pretender this year. Even Edmonton with McDavid's health are possible pretenders. You need a healthy dose of luck in the draft
& FA to get to that point

 

[Romang67]

Some people have a lot more faith in the Bruins' ability to identify and develop young talent than I do based on this thread.

 

[Boyon90]

It drives me crazy when I see these posts about how I am supposed to feel sorry for the Bruins, Pens or a couple of years ago, the Avs.
The Bruins will be back in a couple of years and people will talk about the black hole that the Bruins were in in 2025. Give me a break. Try being a Jackets fan with 1 series win in 25 years and that win was a miracle.

how about you make yourself a winner and pick another team

 

[Bocephus86]

Eichel is coming home and the rest will fit in around him & Pasta. Give me a St Louis / Washington retool over a tear down every day of the week.

 

[HabsQC]

I bet they "win" the lottery

 

[BB88]

That's true to varying degrees for about 17 teams or more than half the NHL. There are about 5 teams that are actual Cup contenders. Florida, Winnipeg, Dallas, Edmonton & Tampa Bay are it. Everyone else is a pretender this year. Even Edmonton with McDavid's health are possible pretenders. You need a healthy dose of luck in the draft
& FA to get to that point

To even get below the 1st tier of contenders they need more than a 1 offseason

Nashville& Boston were big spenders last offseason and they tried to fix a flawed core/roster with UFA money. That’s lead to both teams being incredible far away from competing

It all has to start from drafting that 1C, a legit 1C prospect and going from there. They won’t find that from the trade or UFA market

Once that’s done they need a good amount of new ”fresh” talent into the top6, another quality draft pick+ someone with experience from the league but not at the end of his prime

The East has top much talent to bet on just good luck on a postseason run

Landing Marner+ 1C prospect from this draft is the only way basically I could see them being able to turn it around quick, the odds for that are pretty low

 

[BB88]

Eichel is coming home and the rest will fit in around him & Pasta. Give me a St Louis / Washington retool over a tear down every day of the week.

Where are you finding Robert Thomas just like that?

I don’t trust the Wash becoming a longterm contender with the way they are built. They’ll be good but not good enough to win in the future. Being average should never be the goal of a retool/rebuild

 

[Bocephus86]

Where are you finding Robert Thomas just like that?

I don’t trust the Wash becoming a longterm contender with the way they are built. They’ll be good but not good enough to win in the future. Being average should never be the goal of a retool/rebuild

IMO tanking is a crap shoot, winning begets winning and unless there is no hope, there is hope. The Bruins are too talented to bottom out for 5+ years, and I honestly don't know if they'd be allowed to. Embrace the reset and let's lean into the fact we're a solid FA destination. I'd rather go down swinging than trade the best Bruin I've seen in years (Pasta). Until Pasta is gone, you keep guys like Mac.

If I could go back in time and trade Sway instead of Ullmark I would, but that ship has sailed and he very well could be a top 5 goalie in this league. I'm just not pushing the panic button yet when the D is playing without Mac, Lindholm, and Carlo. Three top 4 D men are gone and we traded Marchand & Coyle, I think 'this season is over' is clear to the guys so they might not be trying so hard right now.

Give me one more season. If they still suck? Then I'm ready to talk again.

 

[BB88]

IMO tanking is a crap shoot, winning begets winning and unless there is no hope, there is hope. The Bruins are too talented to bottom out for 5+ years, and I honestly don't know if they'd be allowed to. Embrace the reset and let's lean into the fact we're a solid FA destination. I'd rather go down swinging than trade the best Bruin I've seen in years (Pasta). Until Pasta is gone, you keep guys like Mac.

If I could go back in time and trade Sway instead of Ullmark I would, but that ship has sailed and he very well could be a top 5 goalie in this league. I'm just not pushing the panic button yet when the D is playing without Mac, Lindholm, and Carlo. Three top 4 D men are gone and we traded Marchand & Coyle, I think 'this season is over' is clear to the guys so they might not be trying so hard right now.

Give me one more season. If they still suck? Then I'm ready to talk again.

The problem is if you try what they tried last season again and you fail then it’s a full tear down

They don’t need a 5 year rebuild if they do it now, neither is just a 1 year retool good enough

They need a 1C
They need a prime Marchand on the wing with Pasta

You keep Pasta/McAvoy/Swayman as the core

Draft this and next offseason to add to that core and go big time spending in 2026

Last year they tried to fix a flawed core with big time spending, it made them go backwards. Do it again and you are stuck with way too many forever contracts, Nashville is another example why you don’t try to fix a flawed roster via UFA market

There’s just too many major holes to be able to address them all in 1 offseason, but they can do it in 2 offseasons with the draft. Draft 2 franchise/elite forward prospects to go with Pasta, McAvoy& Swayman still in their primes

 

[Ace]

No better tank move available than acquiring Jokiharju.

Would you believe this was Kevyn Adams’ only plan for a top 4 partner for Owen Power since he entered the league? And that Adams still has a job after five failing seasons including two straight years of regression? And that he’s expected to get a sixth year?

ahh…we’re never turning it around

 

[A1LeafNation]

Where are you finding Robert Thomas just like that?

I don’t trust the Wash becoming a longterm contender with the way they are built. They’ll be good but not good enough to win in the future. Being average should never be the goal of a retool/rebuild

In Providence? Poitras?

 

[Fatass]

And they went out last summer and signed two older player to big money long term contracts, when it was clearly the wrong way to go. Now they are stuck with a club that plays old and slow. Trading Pasta and rebuilding might be the best way to ride out those nasty contracts.

 

[McShogun99]

Pastrnak to the Oilers this summer.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

To even get below the 1st tier of contenders they need more than a 1 offseason

Nashville& Boston were big spenders last offseason and they tried to fix a flawed core/roster with UFA money. That’s lead to both teams being incredible far away from competing

It all has to start from drafting that 1C, a legit 1C prospect and going from there. They won’t find that from the trade or UFA market

Once that’s done they need a good amount of new ”fresh” talent into the top6, another quality draft pick+ someone with experience from the league but not at the end of his prime

The East has top much talent to bet on just good luck on a postseason run

Landing Marner+ 1C prospect from this draft is the only way basically I could see them being able to turn it around quick, the odds for that are pretty low

You said the same thing about them before the 2022-23 season and they set records and were deserved Cup favorites before Bergeron ended his career playing a meaningless game 82 and Ullmark got dinged up against Washington the game before.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Pastrnak to the Oilers this summer.

I'd imagine he'd want to go to a contender

 

[La Bamba]

If you're gonna miss the playoffs, may as well miss them hard. Boston is doing what needs to be done for future success. A lottery pick does them a lot of favours

 

[Bandit]

They should hire Marc Bergevin

Please get him away from the Kings asap.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I bet they "win" the lottery

What, another trade with Toronto?

 

[TotalHomer]

Boston has been up our arse for 20 years so they pound sand for the next 20

 

[qcal1427]

I said 2c and top 6 winger. Not easy. But that is what I'm seeing. What do you see?

To be back to a playoff team? Probably a 2c, 2w, 3w, 3/4d

To be back to a real contender? 1c, 1w, 2w, 3w, 3d, 4d, 2g

They have the talent at the top to the point where they don't need to fill every hole but man are there a lot of holes. Seen a lot of "attempt a Capitals style retool" and while I don't think that's a bad idea for Boston, a "Capitals style retool" is contingent upon being gifted two top 6 centers and a top pair defender all ages 25-27 for basically nothing and having insanely good pro scouting to fill out the bottom of the lineup. Signing Brock Boeser to an $8Mx7 or whatever is not going to be enough

 

[Silky Johnson]

I was going of hockey-reference which just says LW.

This is why I just took the positions at face value… there are always a bunch of players who are listed at the wrong positions even in the NHL database, so it’s a major project to check them all for accuracy.

Agreed it's tough to be sure.

Stutzle joined the DEL having been a C but as a 17yo entering a mens league he was played at LW until late in the season.

Same thing when he entered the NHL as an 18 YO. After 1.5 season at LW his career really blossomed once he was moved to C.

Tim is and was always a C but because of age needed to be eased into physically more mature leagues.

Not something you can see from a database so easy mistake.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Boston will be so interesting to follow this offseason

I think they have two wise options here

Option one, they have two elite assets that are in their prime and they can skip a rebuild but only if...they're able to flip the pick into a Konecny like talent and then sign a top 6 center like Duchene as UFA

If they can't flip the pick for a top asset go for option two, use the pick and put Pasta and Mcavoy on the block, don't half ass it

Go all in or all out

Anything else and they're stuck in a loop that some teams can't get out from

I think they need to go full rebuild.

Pasta and McAvoy would return great assets and keeping them just makes them better when they need to be bad.

Those assets are equivalent to 5 first+. That's a great start to a rebuild.

 

[Shark Finn]

Habs and Maple Leafs fans can unite in their hatred, only for the purpose of this thread.

 

[The Panther]

Buffalo is a perfect example of what Edmonton would be if they didn’t get McDavid. Constantly drafting lottery picks with nothing to show for it.

Er... no.

Current Oilers regulars drafted and developed by the club:
- Bouchard
- Draisaitl
- McDavid
- Nugent-Hopkins
- Nurse
- S. Skinner

That's a significant chunk of their best players.

If not for being blindsided by last summer's offer-sheet, we'd add Broberg and McLeod. And to these, we can add another of the top-5 players in the world (Draisaitl), whom they very intentionally picked fourth overall, and developed expertly.

The Oilers have had four #1 overall draft picks (in 45 seasons):
-- 1 is the greatest player in the world, Hart / Art Ross / Conn Smythe winner
-- 1 won the Hart Trophy for another team
-- 1 is a franchise player, a 100-point scorer for the team, and is current third (soon to be 2nd) in franchise games played

Those 3 draft picks were all great picks, successfully developed.

The only #1 pick the Oilers completely blew was Nail Yakupov, which was a disaster. But it's not like there was any superstar player available in the 2012 draft (okay, Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy, but goalies are crap-shoot draft picks).

If McDavid had never happened, the Oilers' drafting and player development has clearly been better than Buffalo's.