The Boston Bruins have exceeded expectations after starting a retool last year, but they're still clinging to the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
Heading into this season, the expectations for the Boston Bruins were carefully managed, to say the least.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney took an intentional backward step at last year's trade deadline when it looked like their season was a lost cause. He sent away veterans Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic to restock Boston's shelves with draft picks and prospects.
But that didn't mean Sweeney's competitive instincts suddenly vanished.
This season, the Bruins have surged in the Atlantic Division standings, sitting in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. But while it wouldn't be ideal for Boston to throw caution to the wind and go all-in by the March 6 trade deadline, we see Sweeney being a modest buyer this year and trying for a more organic growth into a year-in, year-out Stanley Cup contender.
The Bruins have about $4.3 million in salary cap space right now, and that can rise to $5 million by the trade deadline. So Sweeney has enough cap space to use on acquiring a veteran or two.
In an interview with NESN Thursday night, Sweeney confirmed his approach to this year's trade deadline will be different from what it's been in the past decade.
"We still want to try and complement, supplement our group," Sweeney said. "The players have done a great job to be in the position they are. We'd like to add to it. We're going to be a little more cautious than we have for 10 years running in terms of really being aggressive."
Sweeney's intent to augment Boston's lineup should be music to Bruins fans' ears.
The B's will make tweaks to their blueprint for success and continue to build around their core of stars David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman. Sweeney did the right thing last season by knowingly accepting that it wasn't going to be the Bruins' year, and by making moves to help them in the long haul.
This year, however, has a significantly higher ceiling for Sweeney & Co.
The Bruins have exceeded expectations so far this season, but missing out on a playoff spot would be a disappointment. That would be mushy-middle territory, where they would miss out on the playoffs and a top-tier draft pick in the first round.
This is why Sweeney intends to be a low-b buyer at this year's deadline.
The Bruins reportedly tried to acquire right-handed defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames, but he ended up going to the Vegas Golden Knights. That said, other right-handed defensemen who could be available on the trade market include Zach Whitecloud from the Flames, Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues and Rasmus Ristolainen from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Boston has been riding a wave of positivity this season, and playing playoff hockey with this group would be a terrific step forward for the organization. And it's going to be easier to achieve that goal by adding some talent without touching Boston's core or future.
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