Bruins will never rebuild.
Of course, who knows what will happen. Impossible to predict and all. But to share my thoughts that led to my comments, this is what I am thinking about:
To start the 27-28 season, so 3 full seasons from now, they will have
-$7.75M AAV with 4 years left to E Lindhom who will turn 33 in Dec that season. NMC that season and the next and then 10 team NTC.
-$6.5M with 3 years left to H Lindholm who will turn 34 in Jan that season. NMC and then 15 team ntc
- $5M with 3 years left to Zadorov who will turn 33 at the end of that season. 8 team ntc
- Pasta will turn 31 in May and have 4 years left
- McAvoy will turn 30 in Dec
We all have seen how, on the average, players regress as they enter their 30s, some at a higher rate than others.
There are no blue chip prospects in the system now that will be seasoned to take on big roles by 27-28. They will be good for the next few years, so will likely continue to trade futures to go for a championship before the above happens. If they buck tradition and hang onto their firsts, they will be picking at the end of the round.
I just see a rebuild or major retool starting a few seasons from now. They will have been very good for most of 20 years by then. I think the Zadorov and E Lindholm deals only make sense in that context.