The Boston Bruins are on the clock.
The players know it, management knows it and so do the other 31 NHL teams that are watching what is going to happen with this team over the next few games, and ultimately over the next month ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Cam Neely has already publicly stated that the B’s are planning for different tracks at the deadline whether they are buyers attempting to add to their current roster or selling as they “retool” while tacitly admitting that this team doesn’t have it this season. It’s up to the players to decide which way the Bruins are ultimately going to go, and that’s something they understand from the final guy on the NHL roster all the way up to captain Brad Marchand, who is even answering questions about his future in Boston.
#NHLBruins President Cam Neely on his team looking at two possible paths they may take at the #NHL Trade Deadline(March 7th) - @nhlbruins @wbz pic.twitter.com/qy4sZEA58t
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) January 16, 2025
“The only thing we can do is focus day to day,” said Marchand. “They’re going to do what they feel is necessary for the team. And all we can do is worry about our play and what we can control. We can’t control any decision that is going to be made. We have to come and do a job here every day, and that’s all we can worry about right now.
“I’m not really worried about what’s being said [about trade speculation] in the media. At the end of the day, like I said, [Bruins management] is going to make decisions for the group that they feel is necessary. I have no control over that. I’m gonna worry about what’s going on here and play for this group. And as long as I’m here, I’m a Boston Bruin and that’s what I’m worried about.”
It's jarring to hear even Hockey Night in Canada insider Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast acknowledge that Marchand being moved isn’t completely off the table based on how this season plays out. But it’s highly unlikely it gets that far unless Marchand actively wanted to go to a contender, and that doesn’t seem as if that would happen.
Instead retooling would be about moving a player like Trent Frederic if he doesn’t factor into Boston’s long-term future, or perhaps even moving a hot commodity like Morgan Geekie that would yield a big return as he’s still approaching restricted free agency. Or perhaps jostling the B’s core group by moving players like Charlie Coyle or Brandon Carlo that will truly alter the mix while including the dose of reality that many players simply are not going to move because they have no-movement clause protection.
The other thing to consider is the eyebrow-raising news this week that the NHL salary cap is going to rise substantially over the next few years, roughly $24 million over the next three seasons, given how much the business of hockey is booming.
The NHL and NHLPA are forecasting significant salary cap bumps on the current $88M ceiling in the coming years. It's a great time to be hitting free agency.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 31, 2025
2025-26: $95.5M
2026-27: $104M
2027-28: $113.5M
Let’s get one thing straight: The B’s do not want to be sellers. They do not want to retool. And the players and coaches have done a good job of circling the wagons and responding this season when things feel like they are at a low point. They did that again on Saturday afternoon in a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers where David Pastrnak collected a hat trick and continued a run that’s made him the NHL’s best player since the league’s holiday break.
They seem to push everybody to the precipice of wanting to blow everything up, and then pull back with strong efforts that show they want to be a playoff team.
“That was obviously a big win for us, and we need to continue to give ourselves opportunities to win to be successful,” said Charlie McAvoy. “We played a good brand of winning hockey tonight and we were opportunistic. We earned a lot of the chances we got, and we played a good game. We need to learn from this and try to put more of this together.”
But the problem now is the mathematics, and the difficult road as they sit 9th in the Eastern Conference with every team around them in the standings holding 2-3 games in hand against them. Money Puck currently has the Bruins sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 25.2 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs with the Lightning, Senators, Red Wings, Islanders and Rangers all ahead of them right now.
The Saturday afternoon win was nice, and the Bruins say they are treating these final few games ahead of the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament break, and that’s a good thing when evaluating whether this hockey club could have the right stuff. But there are no guarantees for this group based on the bed that they’ve made for themselves in the first 50 games of the regular season and it’s going to be perhaps the biggest test they’ve faced in at least a decade.
And that’s the reality the Bruins face while other teams are making big moves around the NHL, but the B’s are still contemplating their short term fate and deciding what this season is ultimately going to bring for them.
ONE TIMERS
*Hampus Lindholm is nearing a return to the Bruins lineup now that he’s practicing without any limitations after being out of action since mid-November with a left leg injury suffered blocking a shot. Lindholm has now missed 36 games and there isn’t an exact timetable in place for his return to game action, but one has to wonder if he’s going to play in any of these final four games ahead of the 4 Nations break.
Either way, the Swedish defenseman will be returning in the near future for the Black and Gold and can finally get away from the frustration of being forced to sit and watch NHL games rather than play in them.
“It feels good to be able to do some contact and get into some battles. You’re excited to get out there and fight with the fellas. It’s been a long way [to recover] but you find ways to go out there and improve and hopefully can infuse some extra energy for the buys and within my game,” said Lindholm, who has arguably Boston’s best defensemen prior to his injury this season and has been missed in a big way on the B’s back end over the last few months. “When you’re on a team and at the level that we are it’s always difficult [to watch] because you feel like you could go out there and make a difference. But I think the boys have been fighting hard. It’s a tough stretch [coming up] and hopefully I can be a big factor in helping us get over the hump.”
Lindholm also confirmed that the injury took him out of consideration for playing for Team Sweden in the 4 Nations Faceoff, a disappointing development for him but also probably the best thing for a Bruins team that needs him healthy for the final stretch run.
“The injury was kind of the cause of me not going, which I totally understand,” said Lindholm. “It was kind of bad [timing] so I’m just focused on the Bruins, getting back and being a difference for our team. You can’t do anything about the timing of it all, so I’m just focused on the here and now.”
*Big honor for Charlie McAvoy being named alternate captain for Team USA in the 4 Nations Faceoff where he’ll get to play in front of Boston fans at TD Garden for the final few games of the tournament. While McAvoy values the prestige of playing with the Red, White and Blue on, he also clearly understands that the first priority is getting his Bruins team on track before he gets focused on the international tournament.
Interestingly, he’ll be wearing No. 25 for Team USA, instead of No. 73, as the uniform he’s worn since he was in Long Island youth hockey.
“That’s been my number for Team USA growing up,” said McAvoy. “We’ve won some gold medals with that number. It’s more of a superstitious thing.
“[Brandon Carlo] beat me by a year here or that would have been my number [with the Bruins]. That’s been my number since I was a little kid. I’ve just had success with it with Team USA, so I had to go back to it.”
It’s clearly a good luck charm as McAvoy won a gold medal with USA Hockey in the 2017 World Junior Championships while skating around as No. 25.
One interesting question, though, is whether McAvoy is risking further injury by taking playing for USA Hockey after acknowledging that something had been nagging him physically while forcing him on the shelf in January.