In Response To A Terrible Boston Bruins Article

This piece is in response to an article produced by one of the major hockey analysis outlets on the Web. It was asserted in said article that the Boston Bruins are set up for success, both now and in the future.

The major arguments presented involved the Bruins’ plethora of high upcoming draft picks, the fact that injuries have slowed the team this year, and the handful of elite prospects existing in the organization. The article was about as convincing as a door-to-door political canvasser. Here’s the real scoop about the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins won the Eastern Conference a season ago and were heavily favoured to reach the Conference Finals and perhaps win the Stanley Cup. Everything fell into place for the Bruins last year. Their youthful components broke out all at once (Krejci, Wheeler, Kessel), while the veterans had majorly productive seasons (Thomas, Ryder, Savard, Wideman, Chara). Thomas won the Vezina, Chara won the Norris, Krejci had the league’s best plus/minus, and Claude Julien won the Jack Adams. So things went pretty well last year in Boston.

But instead of building on their success and climbing to higher levels, the Bruins appear to be in the midst of a mini-rebuild. By trading their top goal-scoring threat Phil Kessel, the Bruins have earned the right to laugh at the dismantling of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they’ve also lost major scoring punch and have failed to recapture last season’s magic on many levels. The B’s have seemingly repeated what the Montreal Canadiens had done a year earlier: Unexpectedly winning the Conference, and then falling back to the pack a year later — no longer a true Cup favourite.

Regardless of their fall back to the pack, Bruins fans retain hope that their club will be back in serious contention in the very near future.

One of Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin or Cam Fowler will likely dawn a Bruins sweater at the entry draft in June, but there’s no guarantee for any top draft pick to step in and have an immediate impact. Hall may have a dynamite rookie season, but he may not. Seguin was cut from the Canadian World Junior team this year, so it would be a stretch to assume he will produce like John Tavares has this year; Tavares was a member of the World Junior team in his draft year and he was spectacular. Fowler, being a defenseman, will likely be brought along slowly. Think of the talk surrounding Victor Hedman before this season, and his relatively quiet impact so far in Tampa Bay. Drew Doughty-type talents don’t come along every year. If Boston gets Fowler, they should expect to wait awhile before he makes a difference in the NHL.

So, the Bruins won the East last year, have regressed this season, and are now waiting for their top-3 draft pick to come in and once again solidify their status as an elite team. However, even if the upcoming lottery pick surges into the NHL and replaces Phil Kessel’s production, there are other concerns that make the Bruins’ future less than clear.

Bruins fans ought not to take for granted the “certainties” existing on their current roster, either. One of the brightest young Bruin building blocks is 24-year-old Patrice Bergeron, who will become a UFA after next season. Bergeron makes 4.7 million on his current contract, but his next payday will surely be north of 5.5 million, which is a very conservative estimate. Reigning Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara will also see his contract expire at the conclusion of next season. He makes 7.5 million on his current deal. How can the Bruins be confident about the chance of retaining both of these talents? The free agency period that is almost upon us is by far the weakest in recent memory. General Managers around the league will be chomping at the bit to bid for the services of both Bergeron and Chara.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be an article about the Boston Bruins without mentioning their onerous contracts. The best goaltender on the Bruins, Tuukka Rask, makes peanuts compared to backup Tim Thomas. Months after posting sparkling numbers and taking home the Vezina Trophy, Thomas is no longer wanted in Boston. It doesn’t help that the soon-to-be 36-year-old will make 5 million dollars a season for the next three.

Fun Fact #1: No Bruin has scored 40 points yet this year.

Fun Fact #1: No Bruin has 20 goals yet this year. Phil Kessel has 22.

Quick, someone name the Bruins’ top four defensemen.

….

You obviously said Zdeno Chara. Next on the list would be Dennis Wideman, who broke out last year with 50 points and a plus-32 rating. This year, Wideman has 20 points (3 goals) and is a team-worst minus-15. Then you’d move on to Dennis Seidenberg, who is unsigned beyond this season. After that… Matt Hunwick? Maybe the Bruins should draft Cam Fowler with their lottery pick.

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