NHL Notebook: What should be on Bruins’ Christmas list?

Happy holidays to all of our loyal readers here at BSJ!

With the most wonderful time of the year in full swing — and a lack of tangible B’s news during this mini-break — we thought we’d get into the spirit of Christmas and roll through what we think the Bruins should have put on their list for Santa. 

Here’s a glimpse at a few things that the Bruins should have been looking for underneath their tree this weekend. 

A new contract for David Pastrnak: Barring a Christmas miracle, it doesn’t seem like J.P. Barry will have an eight-year contract tied up in a bow for the B’s to unravel on Sunday. 

But at this point, the Bruins would likely welcome a layaway slip and the guarantee that Barry, Pastrnak and the rest of his representatives will give Boston an extended window to bridge the gap on a hefty new contract before the rest of the league can jump into the free-agent feeding frenzy in July. 

Yes, finding a replacement down the middle once both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci hang up their skates stands as the most daunting obstacle facing Boston when it comes to retooling this roster for sustained contention in the years ahead. 

But losing Pastrnak in free agency not only represents a catastrophic case of asset (mis)management, it also hollows any attempt of Boston to build a foundation for the future next to the likes of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and others.

Sure, the dearth of talent down the middle remains a red flag in the post-Bergeron era, but having arguably two top-10 blueliners in place next to a 50-goal scorer and a likely Vezina Trophy finalist stands as a pretty good starting point for a revamped roster.

At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the Bruins will need to cough up at least $11 million annually on any new deal with Pastrnak — a steep financial commitment that could age like fine wine once the cap ceiling inevitably starts to soar once the players pay off their escrow debt.

 But given the ramifications both in terms of the talent drain and the bleak days forecasted ahead if Pastrnak does head elsewhere come July, the Bruins can’t afford to let him leave Boston without signing on the dotted line. 

My official, final, BSJ prediction: J.P. Barry likes to bring contract negotiations to the eleventh hour — with Boston eventually signing Pastrnak to an eight-year, $92 million contract just before unrestricted free agency begins in July. 

More reps for Jeremy Swayman

Yes, Linus Ullmark is playing like a Vezina favorite and has taken major strides forward in his second season with Boston.

But if the B’s want to orchestrate a fruitful Cup run this spring, they’re going to need Ullmark to be rested and locked in once the pressure gets ramped up. And for Boston to achieve that, they’re going to have to cut into Ullmark’s workload — and offset those reps with more starts for Jeremy Swayman.

Of course, having a manageable 55/45 split between Goalie 1A and Goalie 1B was Boston’s plan going into this season. But with Ullmark putting up video-game numbers and Swayman struggling to find traction during his own starts, the B’s have had to lean on Ullmark early and often this season. 

And considering that Ullmark’s previous career high for games played in a single season was 41 (2021-22), the Bruins are playing with fire this season with their top goalie — especially with Ullmark already sitting at 23 games before the new year.

There’s no questioning that Swayman’s game has gone through its fair share of peaks and valleys so far this season. But even if a 60/40 split for Swayman down the stretch leads to Boston relinquishing a few more points in the standings in February/March, it will be worth it if it leads to a dominant Ullmark in April/May. 

Brad Marchand’s 5v5 game: It should encourage the Bruins — and terrorize the rest of the league — that the Bruins have operated as a juggernaut all season long with Marchand looking very mortal at 5v5 action. 

Even though Marchand has been as advertised this season when it comes to his offensive contributions (27 points in 25 games), a majority of those O-zone strikes have come on the man advantage — with Marchand currently 13th on the B’s with just seven 5v5 points, with even names like Connor Clifton (11 5v5 points) and Nick Foligno (11 5v5 points) ahead of him on the roster.

Over the years, Marchand’s value to this club has not just been his power-play prowess or his pugnacious style of play. Rather, the star winger has been money over the years as Boston’s most consistent scoring threat at 5v5 play. 

From 2019-2022, there were 632 NHLers who logged at least 1,000 minutes of 5v5 ice time. And among that crowded pool of talent, Marchand ranked first in terms of 5v5 points per 60 minutes at 3.02 — ahead of names like Nikita Kucherov (2.99), Connor McDavid (2.99), Auston Matthews (2.91) and countless others.

But this season, among the 466 NHLers who have logged at least 300 minutes of 5v5 ice time, Marchand currently ranks 226th overall in 5v5 points per 60 minutes at 1.33 — a major step down from his lofty standards.

Of course, Marchand has been very candid and transparent about the gradual process he’s adhering to when it comes to getting back up to speed following double-hip surgery this summer. 

And if there’s anyone who can bounce back from such a major procedure, it’s probably Marchand. 

But Boston will be hoping that the 5v5 points start piling up in the near future. 

New sweaters for Craig Smith, Mike Reilly 

The 2022-23 Bruins might be a wagon, but you don’t need to be present in Boston’s room every day to discern that both the team and the players themselves would likely all benefit from both Mike Reilly and Craig Smith finding new homes in the coming weeks.

Of course, the Bruins could use the cap relief that would come with taking both Smith and Reilly’s cap hits ($6.1 million) off their books. But given that Reilly is currently logging reps down in the AHL and Smith is bouncing between both Boston and Providence these days, it’s clear that these two NHL regulars can (and probably should) be logging minutes for an NHL club elsewhere. 

Another go-around for Patrice Bergeron 

Let’s make it clear — if Bergeron hoists Lord Stanley’s Cup in June, then all bets are off and he’s going to be riding off into the sunset.

But for all of the talk of this being a true “Last Dance” type of season, that sentiment very well could change — considering that Bergeron has continued to age gracefully at 37 years old.

It’d be one thing if Bergeron was still anchoring Boston’s top line and playing like a top-30 player in the league. But the future Hall of Famer is right in line for yet another Selke Trophy this season, and hasn’t seen his value dip in the slightest

If Bergeron manages to avoid injury and keeps playing at this high level, the Bruins would certainly welcome another season for their captain in black and gold — especially if it helps stave off the cap crunch and other roster-related headaches that sit on the horizon.