The Boston Bruins come in at No. 19 on TheHockeyNews.com's NHL off-season rankings. The Bruins are historically one of the league's most competitive teams, but did they do enough this summer to keep pace in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division?
Despite major roster turnover in recent years, the Boston Bruins have stayed competitive.
They've put together consistent regular-season performances and have missed the post-season one time since the 2016-17 season. However, Boston has some work to do before they’ll be considered a front-runner for the Stanley Cup.
After this off-season, there's a path for the Bruins to end up in the mushy middle. They may not be good enough to make the playoffs, and not bad enough to have a great shot at the first-overall draft pick.
Let’s analyze GM Don Sweeney’s moves from this summer and discuss why the Bruins are ranked 19th on TheHockeyNews.com’s off-season rankings.
Arrivals:
J.J. Peterka (LW), Ivan Ivan (LW), Connor Clifton (D), Jiri Patera (G), Brendan Gaunce (LW), Will Borgen (D)
Sweeney’s big off-season play was the acquisition of J.J. Peterka, who posted 25 goals and 47 points in 82 games in his first and only season with the Utah Mammoth last year. Peterka is now on his third team in as many years, which could prove to be a red flag.
Elsewhere, the Bruins addressed their defense by essentially replacing blueliner Andrew Peeke with Will Borgen and Connor Clifton, with the latter beginning his second stint in Beantown.
Projected to enter the season with a goaltending tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Michael Dipietro, Sweeney also signed Jiri Patera. The 27-year-old has only nine games of NHL experience and slots in as the third goalie on the Bruins' depth chart.
DiPietro and Patera might not be enough insurance in net if Swayman goes down with injury, which could be a concern that may end up hurting the Bruins this season.
Departures:
Viktor Arvidsson (LW), Joonas Korpisalo (G), Andrew Peeke (D), Fabian Lysell (RW)
Boston’s most notable loss is veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson, who generated 25 goals and 54 points in only 69 games last season. Arvidsson’s totals ostensibly will be replaced by Peterka, but Arvidsson’s new two-year, $10-million contract with the Red Wings feels like it could’ve been doable for the Bruins.
Sweeney gave 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell to the Colorado Avalanche in the deal to acquire Ivan Ivan. Neither Lysell nor Ivan are difference-making players at the NHL level, but either could realize their potential in a new environment.
They also parted ways with Joonas Korpisalo, who struggled mightily in his two seasons with the Bruins. Trading him to the Rangers rids them of the final two seasons of Korpisalo’s bloated salary, but also leaves a hole of experience behind Swayman in net.
The Bottom Line:
With superstar right winger David Pastrnak, forwards Elias Lindholm, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and defenseman Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins have a stellar core that’ll keep them out of the Atlantic basement.
The reason they are in the mid-tier of these off-season rankings is because they didn’t come away with a true difference-maker to push towards the top of the Eastern Conference.
You can argue Sweeney is going about his business the right way, picking up top draft picks and not trying to cheat the building process with high-stakes gambles. From that perspective, Sweeney’s patience could definitely pay off in Boston’s favor.
Additionally, the Bruins still have $5.3 million in cap space, giving them the financial flexibility to address any in-season concerns that may arise.
But at a point in time where virtually every one of Boston’s Atlantic rivals have notably improved, the Bruins have fallen behind. Making the post-season is still a possibility, but it will be an uphill battle if the team's biggest stars don't perform at a high level.
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