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The Atlantic Division was always expected to be a juggernaut grouping going into the 2021-22 NHL season.
But just six weeks ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this bracket of potential Cup contenders is quickly devolving into a “Hell In A Cell” primetime scrap.
"In one corner, you have the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions in the Lightning — still armed with a lethal top-six unit, a hefty D corps, a playoff-tested pedigree and a goalie who can steal you a series (or four) outright in Andrei Vasilevskiy."
"In the other, you have a potential Presidents' Trophy contender in Panthers — who can shred even the stoutest defenses and netminders into swiss cheese thanks to a balanced scoring salvo spread out across the depth chart."
"On this side, you have the Maple Leafs: A club marred by some serious flaws between the pipes and the back end, but also buoyed by arguably the Hart Trophy frontrunner and a high-octane top-six grouping. And at some point, fortune has to shine on them in the first round, right? … Right?"
"And last but not least, you’ve got the Bruins: A veteran-heavy club potentially staring at the final kick at the can with this current core — and bolstered by a recent uptick in depth scoring and some of the strongest underlying metrics in the league."
*ding, ding*
And of this stacked quartet, there stands a good chance that only one or two of them will still be in the playoff picture following the first round of play.
It’s a cruel minefield to navigate, especially when glancing at other divisions that are ruled by one true leviathan (the Avalanche and Flames in the Central and West Division, for example).
Granted, it was always going to be an uphill climb for Boston among this stacked field, with the other path through the East also far from agreeable (a potential first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes).
But the road through this bracket will only get tougher for the Bruins, because an arms race is already well underway down in the Sunshine State.
With a few days still to go before Monday’s trade deadline, both the Panthers and Lightning have already bolstered their respective lineups — jumping the gun (and potentially destabilizing the trade market) by relinquishing some hefty assets for NHL talent.
The Lightning, who helped fill in the foundations of a championship-caliber roster by coughing up first-round picks for Blake Coleman (a Bruins target) and Barclay Goodrow in February 2020, have stuck to a similar script this season. Coleman and Goodrow might have cashed in on free-agent deals this past summer, but Tampa has its next high-energy winger in Brandon Hagel — plucking the 23-year-old forward from Chicago in exchange for two first-round picks and two younger players.
A steep price, sure. But giving up draft capital falls far down on Julien BriseBois’ list of concerns as he tries to maximize Tampa’s contention window, and Hagel’s contract (signed through 2023-24 at a $1.5 million cap) justifies some of the haul that Chicago secured.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have already snagged a player with rather unfavorable underlying metrics in Ben Chiarot — acquiring him from the Habs for a 2023 first-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick and a prospect.
Yes, Chiarot has been downright dreadful this season for Montreal, especially now that he’s no longer paired with a legit talent in Shea Weber. Still, the veteran blueliner could be a sum-of-its-parts acquisition for Florida — injecting a heaping portion of nasty into the Panthers' roster ahead of the postseason grind.
And Florida may be far from finished. As of right now, it seems as though the white whale of this deadline in Claude Giroux will either be heading down to Sunrise or over to Denver in the next few days — with the Flyers star forward putting an already powerful Panthers forward corps over the top.
Scary stuff.
And even though the Maple Leafs are up against it when it comes to the cap and those concerns in net, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Toronto to try and acquire some heft on defense — especially a cheap asset like San Jose’s Jacob Middleton.
So where exactly does that leave the Bruins?
Based on some of the instant reactions from the black-and-gold contingent on Twitter, Tampa’s latest trade-deadline plunder signaled a need for the Bruins to come to terms with their place in the Atlantic’s pecking order, and walk away from the table.
Instead of buying ahead of March 21, perhaps the best course for the B’s is to stand pat, hold on to those first-round picks, allow blue-chip prospects like Mason Lohrei and Fabian Lysell to develop, sell off Jake DeBrusk for future assets and look to fight another day.
Of course, such a long-term plan is likely a non-starter for Don Sweeney and this Bruins team.
Are the Bruins favorites this season? Nope. They're not even favorites to emerge out of the Atlantic.
But hoping to fight “another day” is a mission statement that tends to ring a bit hollow when you’re not sure when that "day" might come. Because you never know when a franchise pillar like Patrice Bergeron will fall in your lap once again.
As such, it should come as no surprise that the Bruins intend to contend for however long Bergeron remains in a black-and-gold sweater — with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirming that sentiment on his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast.
“Boston, I think, has a chance to be really busy. They’ve been in on (Jakob) Chychrun, they’re in on (Mark) Giordano, I think they’re in on (Hampus) Lindholm. (Andrew) Copp is a guy that fits what they do. I think they’ve checked in on the Vancouver guys,” Friedman said. “I think Don Sweeney has a lot of oars in the water. …. Bergeron has kind of always said, ‘I’m only going to play as long as I feel I’m at an elite level.’
"And he’s having an elite season. So it’s up to him, his body has been through a lot. But they kind of look at it like, ‘Every year, we try to win — because we don’t know how much longer we’re going to have this, right?’ So I think they’re going to take some big swings.”
So no, even though the rest of the field in the Atlantic is stocking up, don’t expect the Bruins to suddenly ride off into the sunset and let the contention window slam shut on this current core.
Of course, the Bruins would love to add a piece like a Chychrun/Lindholm on defense or a Conor Garland up front — cogs that could plug holes on this current roster and bridge that gap for the next generation when Bergeron does indeed walk away from the game.
Some of that will hinge on the state of this trade market — and just what the Bruins are willing to relinquish.
But opting to walk away from the table without even playing your hand against the likes of the Bolts and Panthers isn’t how this Bruins team is going to potentially let this era end.
All things considered, the Bruins have actually held their own against both Tampa and Florida this season — posting a record of 2-1-1 against both powerhouses so far.
And yes, the postseason is a completely different beast from the dog days of March. Reinforcements will be needed if Boston hopes to avoid a similar end as both the 2018 and 2020 campaigns — both promising seasons cut short by a beefier Bolts roster.
But anything can happen once the calendar rolls to May and “Cochise” begins blaring through the TD Garden speakers once more. If you want to look at how quickly a club’s fortunes can change, look no further than the Panthers — who saw their top defenseman in Aaron Ekblad exit Friday’s game against the Ducks with what looked like a severe leg injury.
The 2021-22 Bruins aren’t pacing the pack in the Atlantic, nor are they the apple of the odds-maker's eyes in Vegas.
But at the very least, the 2021-22 Bruins have a shot this spring.
And in hockey, sometimes that’s all you need.
Time to load up.