Could this be the year the Bruins finally miss the playoffs?

[Stickpucker]

Last year right about this time Carolina slapped Edmonton around and there was a similar thread and everyone knows how that turned out.

The Atlantic has some teams that have been easy pickins the last number of years. Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, and Detroit. I don't think any of them have improved a ton but the gap between Boston and them has shrunk. I think they finish the season 4 or 5 in the Atlantic.

 

[nbwingsfan]

The only time it was more relevant was the 2019 Finals.

You realize they wouldn’t be able to afford all of Connor, Barzal, etc right?

Maybe they don’t draft McAvoy? They don’t make the trade for Lindholm? They don’t draft Swayman? Carlo is traded? They dont bring back Krejci?

 

[banks]

C depth has been a problem since Bergeron hung up his skates. Unfortunately for Boston, Lindholm seems to have been a mirage and Coyle is somehow getting even worse. It's just not a strong group, even with Marchand and Pasta.

I believe in Swayman more than most, but he'll have to be in vezina form here on out to keep them in the playoff race.

 

[RickyLafleur]

Fans of teams in the Atlantic sure hope so!

 

[DaStinger]

It's time to rebuild. Ownership however wants the team to stay competitive. Although I wish they would sell off they will probably search for bandaids and be just outside a wildcard.

 

[abj]

Of course it is early, but with them being blown out tonight they are sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic in 8th. Could this finally be the year they begin to show they are entering post contender status ala Capitals, Penguins, etc?

I consider Boston miss the playoffs Ottawa take the playoffs status Boston's defence leaking.

 

[BB79]

Fattest team in the NHL. Gravity catching up?

View attachment 924818

Well they're also one of the tallest too

 

[chaz4hockey]

Why? What happened in 2015?

Top Players available after that include Barzal, Connor, Boeser, Konecny, Ericsson Ek, Aho:

 

[BlueBaron]

It would be nice but it's too much to hope for.

 

[mobilus]

You realize they wouldn’t be able to afford all of Connor, Barzal, etc right?

You realize they didn’t need all three picks to pan out? Just one first liner would have been nice, no? Instead they got two career dishwashers and a tweener forward who left the second he was eligible to go, with zero assets coming back.

 

[nbwingsfan]

You realize they didn’t need all three picks to pan out? Just one first liner would have been nice, no? Instead they got two career dishwashers and a tweener forward who left the second he was eligible to go, with zero assets coming back.

Tweener forward? Debrusk was a very obvious top 6 forward lol.

Add in Brandon Carlo in the 2nd too.

Like I said, if they draft those three, who knows if they have (they definitely wouldn’t have all) McAvoy, Lindholm, Swayman

 

[Discipline Daddy]

The weirdest thing about the game last night was the Bruins' identity wasn't clearly recognizable. But a franchise doesn't just lose that in a game. I believe the Bruins will be back better. They still have enough talent on that roster to make the playoffs. I looked over their roster and I was surprised by how many young players they have. A lot of us outsiders may think the Bruins live and die by just Pastrnak, Marchand, Swayman, and McAvoy. They're the drivers, but the team has a lot of decent young pieces that may take some time to learn the Bruins' system.

Perhaps this is the end of an era, but I bet more likely it's a cold streak.

Lord knows my Hurricanes looked like dog shit defensively in the first month of last season, but they came around to being like the #2 team in the league defensively after December, and that was after missing Freddie Andersen for like 60 games.

 

[Prettyisland]

They most likely find a way to squeak in but the regular season armor has cracked

 

[jgatie]

Gotta love a pile on thread filled with fans of one out of two teams Boston has a win against.

 

[Bocephus86]

Watching the team, it feels like a bunch of guys trying to get the coach fired. It's messed up.

 

[RabbleMasterBlaster]

Guess we see how insanely important Bergeron was.

The East has like... 3 good teams. It's pretty sad.

In 5 years from now, when we're up to 36 clubs, every team will be bad because every roster will be filled by a guys who's names you will never remember.

Sadness.

 

[PeE eL DuBoiS]

View attachment 924858

Well they're also one of the tallest too

Those hips don't lie. Gotta get those boys skating hard on their off days.

 

[Coffee]

Lol, nice goaltending by 8M dollar man Swayman. And he wanted 10M LOL. What a bozo. Yea, he wants all this money then comes out and looks like shit.

Woah

 

[jackjohnson]

Of course it is early, but with them being blown out tonight they are sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic in 8th. Could this finally be the year they begin to show they are entering post contender status ala Capitals, Penguins, etc?

They were scammed by Zadorov and Lindholm. Their cap is not equal to their value on ice. Zadorov is effective in playoffs because of his hits and the way he plays but is kind of mediocre during regular season.

Lol, nice goaltending by 8M dollar man Swayman. And he wanted 10M LOL. What a bozo. Yea, he wants all this money then comes out and looks like shit.

Yep, Bruins strength last year was their goaltending and ability to swap if one of their goalie got cold. Now they have Korpisalo

 

[Bradely]

Those hips don't lie. Gotta get those boys skating hard on their off days.

IMO, if that bear with those hips was running after you.... you would know he can be fast! Don't lie to yourself...

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

they are just a very mid team. They can still make the yoffs especially when their competition is the 3 stooges of DET, OTT, and BUF. But they are not a contender at all.

 

[mobilus]

Tweener forward? Debrusk was a very obvious top 6 forward lol.

Add in Brandon Carlo in the 2nd too.

Like I said, if they draft those three, who knows if they have (they definitely wouldn’t have all) McAvoy, Lindholm, Swayman

Debrusk is centre of the bell curve, whether he plays 2nd or 3rd line depends on the talent depth of the team he's with. There's nothing wrong with being nothing special, but he's nothing special.

If you were running the Bruins, and the Jets offered you Kyle Connor straight up for McAvoy, do you do it? If the Islanders offered you Barzal straight up for Lindholm?

Toronto's had more than their fair share of "wtf" drafts. In '89, they had three first round picks and took three guys from the Belleville Bulls of the OHL. All because Ballard wouldn't pay for his scouts to travel more than 100 miles from the team. If they wanted to watch games beyond that, they had to pay for the travel and hotels out of their own pockets. In '77 they had the 11th and 12th overall picks and took an average John Anderson and a 5'9" defenseman over Mike Bossy and John Tonelli, again because Ballard cut corners on scouting. I get it that the draft doesn't come with guarantees, but I'm completely willing to admit when cheap ownership gets in the way of building a solid team.

Boston outright blew two of those picks on nobodies, and couldn't entice the third to stay with the team. All those 2015 picks are now in their prime, and if Boston had managed to hit on one or two of them, they'd be in a far different place today.

 

[jackjohnson]

C depth has been a problem since Bergeron hung up his skates. Unfortunately for Boston, Lindholm seems to have been a mirage and Coyle is somehow getting even worse. It's just not a strong group, even with Marchand and Pasta.

I believe in Swayman more than most, but he'll have to be in vezina form here on out to keep them in the playoff race.

There was a reason why Lindholm was not extended in vancouver. He completely sucks in offense while his defense is good. He is very mediocre in regular season without Tkatchuk or Johnny.

It's time to rebuild. Ownership however wants the team to stay competitive. Although I wish they would sell off they will probably search for bandaids and be just outside a wildcard.

They already signed some big contracts this summer. Not sure how they will sell it off. I doubt any team want Lindholm unless Bruins retain. Zadorov is overpaid.

 

[ScottyMascotty]

yikes

 

[abj]

Guess we see how insanely important Bergeron was.

The East has like... 3 good teams. It's pretty sad.

In 5 years from now, when we're up to 36 clubs, every team will be bad because every roster will be filled by a guys who's names you will never remember.

Sadness.

There are not guaranteed 36 or 33 NHL teams in the future.

32 NHL teams would be enough.

Or that it will be one of the Quebec or Atlanta 33 NHL teams?

32 or 33 NHL teams can be excellent.

9 squads in a division, 8 squads in the rest.

32 squads is nicer however.