This is some truly groundbreaking analysis. That weak depth had them in the run for the presidents trophy until the last 2 wks of the season, and had them finish a point behind the Atlantic winner, and knocked out the leafs mega core in the first round. They’re a piece or 2 away from being a juggernautThe thing about both Pastrnak and McAvoy is that they are core players but they are complementary. You really need a player of greater magnitude up ahead of them for the Bruins to be anything but an also-ran team.
That's not even getting into their weak depth.
A winger, a goalie and a 1b. I'm also not a guy who thinks McAvoy is a top 5 D - his play is okay in the post-season but not nearly enough. He's not in the Makar, Fox, Hedman, Heiskanen tier to me.So they just lack a few guys better than their best and a bunch of depth guys too. K
There is nothing to blow up really. The biggest change will come when Marchand retires. That's when the team identity blows up and they will need to redefine who they are. He's the last guy really carrying the torch of their culture as a club.
A piece or two away? Good luck.This is some truly groundbreaking analysis. That weak depth had them in the run for the presidents trophy until the last 2 wks of the season, and had them finish a point behind the Atlantic winner, and knocked out the leafs mega core in the first round. They’re a piece or 2 away from being a juggernaut
A Devils fan more than anyone would know how rarely "Blowing it up" works and when it does, how long it takes. How many top 10 pick have you guys had in the last decade?A winger, a goalie and a 1b. I'm also not a guy who thinks McAvoy is a top 5 D - his play is okay in the post-season but not nearly enough. He's not in the Makar, Fox, Hedman, Heiskanen tier to me.
One or two signings like say, Elias Lindholm, don't put you guys back into contention. There's nothing serious in the pipeline coming to help. The Bruins failure over the past decade has been directly related to not having the top end playmaking it takes to win it all, via poor drafting or poor trades.
A piece or two away? Good luck.
Another thing that needs to be said about their regular season accomplishments and I say this as a long time Devils fan who watched a similar team post lockout and post-Niedermayer: the system and the culture get you through the season but it's not enough come playoff time. You need more gamebreaking offensive talent to keep going on and having a top 2 sniper is not enough. They don't have that Kucherov, Kane, Eichel, etc. and most cup winners have that guy, except the Blues who had solid scorers throughout the lineup in Steen, Thomas, Perron, etc. It's not a surprise their only cup came with a historic performance by Thomas. Swayman was the only reason they were still in this one.
And about that record-breaking season a year prior: it was a great accomplishment but it's tempered by the fact that a post-COVID cap constricted other competitive teams (who didn't get sweetheart deals from their core guys), 1/2 the league was aging out and also in cap trouble (PIT, WAS, etc) and the other half was too young with lost development time / still rebuilding, particularly in that Atlantic division where there were a lot of layup games (BUF, OTT, MTL, DET). They caught the right moment in history to do something epic but they were not actually a great team and it's not a surprise they choked it away.
You don't have to believe me. It's going to play out this way. You've seen it before in Calgary, Minnesota, Nashville, now Winnipeg, etc. Those fans also told me how they'd re-tool and build around what was left.
'23 was just a taste. Most reasonable fans expected a step back - you don't win shit with that goaltending and three rookies on defense.A Devils fan more than anyone would know how rarely that "Blowing it up" works and when it does, how long it takes. How many top 10 pick have you guys had in the last decade?
And where has it got them... to another one this year.
BTW thanks for Zacha. He's helped the retool.
Whatever you need to tell yourself... and three rookies on defense.
And the entire Boston style and culture that exists today is a direct lift from Lou Lam's philosophy. Just with less cups. Your whole organization has been littered with ex-Devils for years.
Oh for sure. There are changes coming and when he hangs em up it will be a whole new team identity. But "blowing it up" means dealing core players and they just won't because there are so few that'd get a return worth the deal. They'll do their best to identify value in trades an and free agency and work from there....Clock is ticking on Marchand as he is getting older. A rebuild may be in the works in the next year or two whether they like it or not.
Exactly. What’s their best long contract?blow what up? They have 3-4 key players signed long term.
Lindholm this summer as a UFA?Need 2 quality centermen and also a couple real jerkwads to beat the crap out of those other jerkwads they keep running into in the playoffs.
Pasta and McAvoy are elite. Great goaltending too. The Bruins are where Vegas was before they got Eichel. They need to pry loose an elite 1C. Not too sure which club would trade away that kind of player though?What is there to blow up ? What is there to sell ? It is just a band of older mid players that criminally over achieve
Steven Stamkos sweepstakesWhere I'm kind of at is that Elias Lindholm is the only legitimate #1 center on the market. If the get him, they'll be really competitive. If they miss out on him, then You're left with he choice of running it back and committing money to a second rate guy like Monahan or Domi or Wennberg or getting a headstart on a reboot. The logical thing is the latter, but it's hard to fold.
Minus Marchand who should retire a Bruin, there are 3 Bruins who i wouldn't trade (Pasta, Swayman and maybe McAvoy). The rest of the team I would make available for the right price. I wouldn't sell everyone for draft picks rather NHL players. A trade like Middlestat for Byram is what I would be looking at. Try to get a young center with upside who could be a 1 or 2C.Oh for sure. There are changes coming and when he hangs em up it will be a whole new team identity. But "blowing it up" means dealing core players and they just won't because there are so few that'd get a return worth the deal. They'll do their best to identify value in trades an and free agency and work from there.
This year they were handcuffed and did alright for themselves, even got a few young pieces that'll help going forward. Now it's just time for the front office to go to work.
They only have three forwards on contracts that last beyond next year...Exactly. What’s their best long contract?