If you’re looking for much in terms of blind optimism, this isn’t exactly the right column for you.
Granted, I think even the most diehard fans that bleed black and gold have become cognizant of the situation facing their beloved club.
The threat of this contention window closing on a veteran core of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask has loomed over this franchise for years now — with each failed quest for the Cup inching us closer to a reality in which we look back on what was a fruitful era of this Original Six franchise with a pained lens of “what could have been?” rather than a fond remembrance of the good ol’ days.
But in previous years, at least there was still a glimmer of hope that a new season would present another legitimate shot for this group to hoist the greatest trophy in all of sports.
The 2013 Cup Final was painful in that a retool was only a few years away due to a looming cap crunch, but at least there was reason for optimism with a cast of characters all well under 30 in Bergeron, Krejci, Rask, Marchand, Torey Krug, Tyler Seguin (woooof) and Dougie Hamilton (eeek).
Looking back, the 2019 Cup Final will likely stand as the most devastating result of this era given the opportunity that fell in front of Boston — but a positive narrative could once again be spun with the veteran core still having a solid 3-4 years in front of them, coupled with continued strides by the likes of David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.
And even in 2020, a B’s club that seemed hellbent on a revenge tour only to have their season halted due to COVID-19 seemed to have another shot in 2021 with things relatively getting back to normal, right? (Of course, this 2021 campaign was FAR from normal).
But where do we find ourselves now, with the Bruins once again coming up short this year — bounced in six games by an Isles team that out-worked, out-muscled and flat out beat a B’s roster that had its sights set for a much better ending than an unceremonious bow-out on Long Island.
The Bruins still have some key cogs in place for next year in McAvoy, Pastrnak, Marchand and others.
But between the UFA status of players like Krejci (who seems as uncertain about the future as you and me) and Rask (out until at least January or February due to hip surgery), a 36-year-old Bergeron entering into the final year of his contract and a desolate prospect pool with little in terms of prime candidates to handle sizable roles in 2021-22 — it’s time for us to accept the hard truths regarding this roster.
Because whether it be failures in the draft, poor signings or underachievement out on the ice, the Bruins now find themselves in an inevitable position this offseason — mired in a crossroads and forced to decide between a full-blown rebuild or an on-the-fly retool, one that will only surely delay the inevitable.
So what route do the Bruins take this summer?
For me, the choice is clear.
For however long the likes of Bergeron, Marchand and that core are in black and gold sweaters, a rebuild is not up for discussion — not with this organization in the state it’s in as far as their prospect pipeline is concerned.
Listen, I get it — there are plenty of you who are more than willing to rip off the Band-Aid and get this rebuild started. And hey, maybe 7-8 years down the road, we can look back at this column and scoff at my shortsightedness when it comes to squeezing whatever potential might be left with this core, rather than wiping the slate clean.
But the fact of the matter is that if you wanted to really blow things up and maximize the value of selling off assets on the fly, you’re about a year or two too late. Because at this juncture, other than aging veterans like a Bergeron or a 33-year-old Marchand, what pieces are you going to sell that are going to TRULY accelerate a rebuild that is going to potentially take YEARS to complete?
With key pieces for the future like McAvoy, Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman and more likely off the table in a fire sale, how exactly are you replenishing your farm system in short order?
Charlie Coyle and his contract that isn’t looking too pretty just one year into a six-year, $31.5 million deal? Jake DeBrusk? Perhaps a few years ago, when he could have been a headlining piece in a mega-deal for Ryan McDonagh. But that was when his stock was soaring as a projected 25-30 goal scorer year after year. These days? That’s not exactly set in stone.
And even if Boston recouped plenty of draft capital in a sell-off, is there faith in this management staff to replenish this farm system in the span of a few years? No, with the B's prospect pool in the state it's in with a slew of youngsters still a ways away, a complete rebuild wouldn't just be a few years of hard times.
We'd be looking at a nuclear winter — one in which a return of true contender status may not be afforded to this club until guys like McAvoy and Pastrnak are already well into their respective primes.
I did open this column by stating this was going to be bereft of optimism. But if I’m trying to polish this ugly ending and pitch a retool in the coming year — that would seem to be contradictory, no?
Perhaps I’m a hypocrite.
But in my eyes, retooling with the cap space you have and staying the course in hopes of another chance or two in the playoffs is TRULY the only option you have at this point.
Maybe it’s just blind optimism, but I view it in a different light.
It’s kind of like in those old Looney Tunes cartoons — where Wile E. Coyote runs straight off the cliff in pursuit of his prize in the Road Runner.
So long as he doesn’t look down at the fate that awaits him when gravity takes hold, he continues to run forward — his eyes set on what’s in front of him. Sooner or later, he eventually does glance down to see he’s run out of runway, and the plummet commences.
By shoring up the flaws on this roster (bottom-six, D corps) and running things back, Boston can at least postpone the inevitable that awaits them if they were to finally glance down at the pit they've dug for themselves.
By retooling and using their projected $27 million in cap space (per CapFriendly) to bring back veterans on cheaper contracts (something that Krejci, Rask and even Taylor Hall all seemed to hint at during their breakup-day pressers) and loading up on depth in those aforementioned deficiencies on the roster — Boston at least gives itself a shot in the next year or two.
Perhaps by adding a competent winger to slot next to Coyle on the third line (Blake Coleman, for example), Boston will once again be able to roll four lines once more — with a second line of Hall-Krejci-Smith, while disappointing against New York, giving you far more than you’ve received from that top-six unit in the last couple of fruitless seasons.
And whether it be via trade or free agency (beefier blueliners like Jamie Oleksiak make plenty of sense), Boston can avoid a similar situation to the one that doomed them this week — in which a shorthanded D corps was picked apart by the Islanders.
Add in a potential breakout showing from Swayman (complemented by the return of Rask in 2022, or perhaps another veteran partner) and you have the makings of something to be excited about on Causeway Street — at least for another year, maybe two.
At this point, it’s better than nothing.
“We had a great team this year and we felt like we could have gone all the way and we should have gone all the way, but that’s why winning a cup is so rewarding,” Marchand said. “And getting there is so rewarding. It’s because of how hard it is.. It is tough to look at. You’re aging and I try not to look at how much longer I have left because I really don’t – obviously don’t know. … Again, it’s not something I try to dwell on, but facts are facts.
“We’re getting older every year. And who knows what’s going to happen with the core and obviously the guys are going to start moving on. And it’s tough, but like I said, the management group and coaching staff and ownership, they want to win so bad here that they’re going to do what they have to, to make sure that we’re a competitive team and that’s why I love being a part of this organization. Because they want to win just as bad as any player and they do whatever they can every year to make sure they we’re a competitive group. I know we will be again next year and I’m looking forward to that opportunity here.”
At the end of most seasons, I tend to look at things with a glass-half-full mentality, especially with this core in place. But this year does feel a bit different, whether it be due to the multiple fires that must be put out on the roster in a retool, or the looming reality that this core is reaching its end — potentially as soon as this year if Rask and/or Krejci either retire or walk.
Perhaps this loss is just the wake-up call this team needs, a retool that fixes these flaws and puts this team back on track as a viable Cup contender. Perhaps these are just the musings of a writer who's so concerned about the fate of this franchise a few years down the road that he's not focused on what could be another memorable season in 2021-22.
I'd love to be proven wrong. I'd love to think that a retool is simply the last step that will spur this roster toward more memorable Cup runs.
But here's the hard truth. It's the ONLY option afforded to the Bruins — a team that, barring a miraculous stroke of luck via the draft or a lopsided mega-deal, will sooner or later need to stop running, look down and accept the fate that they crafted for themselves.
Might as well try to shoot for the stars now before the inevitable tug of gravity (or reality, in this case) takes effect.
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Swayman set to step up?
Given Rask’s uncertain status when it comes to his lengthy rehab from hip surgery — coupled with the fact that it’s far from set in stone that Boston even re-signs their all-time winningest goalie — methinks we’re going to be examining the goaltender position quite a bit over the next couple of months.
And while the B’s could sign one of the many veteran netminders out on the free-agent market to serve as a placeholder until Rask returns (or perhaps a permanent replacement if Boston opts to move on), if there’s one piece of this murky situation that we might be able to already identify with some clarity — it’s that we're going to be seeing a whoooole lot of Jeremy Swayman in net next season.
Such a scenario was not lost on the 22-year-old netminder when speaking to the media on Friday morning, with Swayman braced for whatever role might be presented to him during the 2021-22 season.
“When your name is called, you have to answer the bell,” Swayman said. “And that's how I wanted it to be. It's an awesome mindset to have, and I'm super happy about that. But again, everyone expects these players to pull their role, pull their weight. So again, I want to be that guy that people can lean on and trust. I'm super excited for that and I'm ready for more.”
Of course, it was a small sample size, but there is a whole lot to like about Swayman’s play during his 10 games up with the Bruins this season — with the University of Maine product not only excelling as far as the stats go (7-3-0, .945 save percentage), but also keeping Boston afloat during a critical stretch of the 2021 season when Rask was on the mend.
A similar scenario could play out once again next year, in which Boston will need to rely heavily on Swayman while awaiting Rask’s eventual return.
"I couldn't have asked for anything better,” Swayman said of learning from Rask this past season. “He's a world-class goalie, a world-class person, so it's awesome to learn from him. He battled and I think everyone knows it. His compete level is unmatched, and he brings a fire every day, especially when it's a playoff atmosphere.
"It's awesome to see that in some of the games that he stole, especially in Washington. It was pretty phenomenal to watch, and again, I learned so much just from watching what he does and seeing how he takes care of his body. It was a really special experience and I'm super happy about that.”
Expansion Draft looming for potential unprotected players
Along with a potentially transformative stretch of free agency and trade activity where Boston can either load up on additional pieces or sell off premier names, there are plenty of other dates worth keeping tabs on this summer — whether it be the NHL Draft from July 23-24 or the first major event on the docket — the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft on July 21.
Of course, we’ll roll out our latest projections of who the Bruins will and will not protect from the NHL’s 32nd franchise in the coming weeks — but the writing seems to be on the wall that the Kraken will have at least a few younger B's skaters to pick from, especially on the blue line.
If Boston opts to stick with the 7-3-1 protection route (seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender), that would likely see the B’s keep McAvoy, Carlo and Grzelcyk all secured as three key cogs on the blue line. That could mean that Seattle, if it focuses on defensive depth, might look at youngsters like Jeremy Lauzon and Connor Clifton.
Such a move isn’t lost on a player like Clifton, who is well aware that he could be on the outside looking in when it comes to Boston’s efforts toward protecting its top assets from getting shipped out to the PNW.
“I guess I wasn’t in the league when the Vegas expansion hit so it’s new territory to me,” Clifton said on Friday. “I don’t really know what to expect, take it day by day. I guess at the end of the day I’ll probably be left unprotected. It is what it is. I guess it’s part of the business. I love being a Bruin and I hope it remains as such.”