After years of win-now moves, it looks as though the bill is about to come due for Don Sweeney and the Bruisn this season.
www.boston.com
…Those efforts resulted in names like Lee Stempniak, Drew Stafford, Rick Nash, Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson, Ondrej Kase, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Patrick Maroon all donning black-and-gold sweaters.
Some did little to reverse Boston’s fortunes, like Stempniak in 2016. Others, like Johansson, played key roles in getting the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019.
Several became lineup regulars like Coyle and Lindholm, while Orlov and Bertuzzi bolstered a record-setting roster in 2023.
But those efforts did not end with Chara or Bergeron hoisting hockey’s greatest prize beyond that one fateful night in Vancouver.
And as admirable as those attempts were to push Boston toward another Stanley Cup, the bill was inevitably set to come due — with years spent cashing out on first-round picks and whiffing on what few selections they had leaving the team’s prospect pool barren….
The Bruins, as currently constituted, have a solid foundation in place with a 60-goal winger in
David Pastrnak, top-pairing defenseman in
Charlie McAvoy, and a promising netminder in
Jeremy Swayman all in their prime and signed to long-term deals.
But the rest of Boston’s depth chart is encumbered with so much bloat, underperforming assets, and a dearth of young talent, that whatever promise resonated with this team in September has regressed into a miserable product on the ice.
Changes need to be made, and draft capital must be recouped (and most importantly, properly utilized).
Thank you. Excellent post.
