The Boston Bruins come into the NHL All-Star break with a league-leading 39-7-5 record, putting them seven points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.
This roster doesn’t have obvious weaknesses, and you could argue that its depth won’t be as strong at every position for a long time. However, under no circumstances should general manager Don Sweeney stand down before the March 3 NHL trade deadline.
The Bruins have a rare opportunity to win their second Stanley Cup title with their veteran core, and they owe these players a significant improvement or two in how well they play in the first 51 games. regular season games.
Here’s our ranking of the Bruins’ biggest needs that must be addressed before the trade deadline.
1. A veteran defense
The Bruins are relatively healthy on the blue line. Charlie McAvoy returned earlier than expected from offseason surgery rehab and continues to play better. Hampus Lindholm is on pace to set a career-high in points and looks like a legitimate top-pairing defenseman. Brandon Carlo, aside from a couple of games last week, has been a rock defensively and a key part of the league’s top-ranked penalty kill. Matt Grzelcyk drives puck possession at a high rate and his scoring has seen an uptick of late. Derek Forbort missed most of November with a hand injury but he was a fantastic presence on defense, especially on the PK. Connor Clifton has already set a career-high in points, and he’s made impressive strides defensively.
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Boston’s blue line is mostly healthy and playing very well. That said, injuries are inevitable come playoff time. These guys put on a lot of wear and tear deep into the playoffs, and having more depth and fresh bodies would be a huge improvement.
Adding another tough, physical presence who can kill penalties and play a third matchup role would be ideal for the B’s. Luke Schenn of the Vancouver Canucks, who won two recent Stanley Cup titles, a potential target for that role. The B’s and Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly “reached out” to the Canucks to discuss Schenn.
If the Bruins want to make a real splash on the blue line, Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes and Vladislav Gavrikov of the Columbus Blue Jackets could play top-four roles on the left side.
Another option for the Bruins is to use Anton Stralman as the seventh defenseman, which is not a terrible scenario. But it would be better for the Bruins if they get another defenseman who can play in multiple scenarios and handle tough defensive assignments.
It only takes one injury to weaken the blue line in a meaningful way, so the Bruins should have quality players who can step up and develop into important roles when needed.
2. Goal scorer on the wing
The Bruins are ranked No. 1 in goals scored with 190, and they are No. 2 of 5-on-5 goals with 122. However, they became the highest weight of late.
David Pastrnak (20 goals), Patrice Bergeron (nine), Pavel Zacha (eight), Brad Marchand (eight) and Jake DeBrusk (eight) have scored 53 goals in the last 26 games. The rest of the team’s forwards combined to score 25 in that timeframe.
Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, AJ Greer and Craig Smith combined to score just 11 goals during that stretch after a hot start to the season.
Pastrnak and Craig Smith are the Bruins’ only two natural right wings on the top three lines. Jake DeBrusk has played a lot of right wing with Bergeron and Marchand, but he’s a natural left wing. Pavel Zacha is better suited on the left wing, as is Hall.
The Bruins also have plenty of guys who can play center. Bergeron, Foligno, David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, Tomas Nosek, Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha can do it. What they need is another right winger who can score goals.
Which players fill that need?
Kevin LeBlanc of the San Jose Sharks can play on the right wing. LeBlanc scored 10 goals with 15 assists in 45 games this season and is signed through 2023-24 with a $4.725 million cap hit. The St. Louis Blues forward Ivan Barbashev can play in the center and the two wing spots. His scoring output has dipped this season, but he tallied career highs of 26 goals and 34 assists last season. Who will be on the Blues coaching staff in 2022-23? Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. Can Monty bring back Barbashev’s offense? This is worth exploring.
Three of the top players that could be used are right wings. They are Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Vladimir Tarasenko of the Blues. Meier is 26 and will be an RFA this summer. He will probably make the biggest impact of the three players. Meier is on pace to score 45 goals, beating the career high of 35 he set last season. Could the Bruins sign him to an extension, though? He could get $8-plus million per season on his next deal, and the B’s will have to re-sign Pastrnak. Kane and Tarasenko cost less than Meier as rentals, and both have plenty of playoff experience and at least one Stanley Cup ring.
3. Bottom-six center
The Bruins have good depth at center, as mentioned above. Not many teams, if any, have a better three-headed monster in the middle than Bergeron, Krejci and Coyle. Those are three great two-way centers that can play in all situations and compete.
That said, you don’t have enough depth in the center. It’s like starting pitching in baseball. Nosek doesn’t provide a ton of offense — three goals in 42 games — but he’s an excellent penalty killer and leads all B’s forwards with 2:39 of shorthanded ice time per game. He also won 58.1 percent of his faceoffs, which is second best on the team behind Bergeron. Nosek is currently out of the lineup with a broken foot suffered while blocking a shot against the Rangers on Jan. 21. The veteran forward is expected to miss four weeks.
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Adding another forward who can play center or wing would be a great bottom-six addition for the Bruins. Nosek is also the team’s only left shot center. One that can deal with the left side will do well.
What accessibility centers are a good fit for Boston?
Max Domi of the Chicago Blackhawks, Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes and Barbashev are worth pursuing. Another interesting option is Blues center Noel Acciari. He started his career with the Bruins and played for them from 2015-16 to 2018-19. He won 54.6 percent of his faceoffs this season, while playing a heavy, physical style of hockey and contributing on the penalty kill. He’ll provide a nice bottom-six boost, and his familiarity with several B players will be a bonus.
