Boston Bruins Offseason
We are less than a month away from a very hectic week and a half in the NHL. In a span of ten days the NHL will see an expansion draft, the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and the beginning of free agency. There will also be the revealing of the jerseys the team will be wearing next season due to Adidas becoming the official jersey sponsor of the NHL.
As a Boston Bruins fan I am excited for this stretch because it should really start to give us an idea of what the team will look like next season. Let’s take a look at what could happen during this stretch.
Adidas Jersey Reveal:
It was reported last week that the Bruins would be one of the teams getting a jersey change from Adidas. However, the belief is that the change will be a minor one. We don’t know that for sure though. It could be as small as a change in striping on the jersey, but it could also be a major change, like the logo or the primary color of the jersey’s. That we won’t find out until June 20th. I wouldn’t be opposed to the logo getting a change or a yellow jersey getting added to the mix (It would have to be a home or away jersey. There will be no third jersey’s next season), but I also like the jersey the way it is now so if there is just a small change to it I won’t be against it.
Expansion Draft:
The Vegas Golden Knights start their maiden NHL voyage next October and they will select their roster in just a few weeks. I honestly have no idea who the Bruins will protect and who they will leave open for the draft, however, my guess (and a lot of others guess) is that either Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Matt Beleskey, or Colin Miller will be the likely candidates to go to Vegas. Losing any of the first three listed there wouldn’t bug me at all. Losing Colin Miller would stink because he has a lot of upside and is locked in at a cheap price next season. McQuaid and Kevan Miller have deals that still have some term and are guys that can be replaced easily on the blueline. Losing one of them would be fine. Beleskey is a guy that has a high cap hit and is one I wouldn’t mind seeing the Bruins lose. Jimmy Hayes is another guy that will be left available, but Vegas won’t touch him. Quite frankly, nobody in the NHL will touch him.
NHL Entry Draft:
As of right now, the Bruins have six picks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft (18th, 53rd, 111th, 173rd, 195th, 204th). The 53rd pick is from the Edmonton Oilers and the 195th pick is from the Florida Panthers. This is quite a thin draft in terms of talent, so if the Bruins were to trade their 1st round pick to land a guy like Gabriel Landeskog or Jake Muzzin (the pick would have to be one of the pieces needed to land either of those guys), I would be fine with it. However, keeping the pick and building the farm up would be just fine. Don Sweeney has done a terrific job drafting the last couple of years and I know he’ll make the right decision at 18 if he chooses to keep it. As far as the rest of the picks, I honestly don’t know. I feel they will acquire a few other picks in minor deals and am intrigued to see who they take and from what leagues the guys are coming from. Last year the Bruins didn’t take a single guy from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which seems pretty wild considering it is the best junior league in the world.
Free Agency:
Bruins President Cam Neely recently said that he didn’t expect the Bruins to make a big splash in free agency this offseason and Bruins fans should be okay with that. The free agent market this season is pretty bad and wasting a ton of money on guys like Kevin Shattenkirk, Thomas Vanek, Karl Alzner, or Patrick Sharp would be stupid. The Bruins have loads of young talent and would be wise to let them grow and learn. Neely also said that a trade would seem more likely, which I like. Landing a top-6 forward or a top-4 d-man through trade seems like a better way to go and could be a cheaper option. Yes, some of the young talent would have to be moved to acquire a talented forward or talented d-man, but that’s part of the business.
In terms of Bruins free agents, re-signing David Pastrnak is a must and guys like Noel Acciari and Zane McIntyre would be good to bring back. There are also a couple more free agent decisions that will need to be made including former 1st round pick Malcolm Subban and forward Austin Czarnik.
The Roster:
As of today, this is what I see as the Bruins roster for the upcoming season:
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Backes
Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — David Pastrnak
Anders Bjork — Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson — Riley Nash
Matt Beleskey — Danton Heinen — Noel Acciari
Frank Vatrano (13th forward)
Zdeno Chara — Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug — Charlie McAvoy
Kevan Miller — Colin Miller
Tuukka Rask
Zane McIntyre
That roster is a product of a very slow offseason. The four main figures missing are Adam McQuaid, who would be lost to expansion, Ryan Spooner, who will most like have his rights traded, Jimmy Hayes, who is hopefully bought out, traded, or buried in the AHL, and Anton Khudobin, who is hopefully traded.
A youth infusion is mixed in with the additions of Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, JFK, and Danton Heinen up front, Charlie McAvoy on the back end, and Zane McIntyre in the net.
This roster is very possible, but I also feel that the Bruins will make a trade based on what Cam Neely said at his end of season presser. Look for the Bruins to be in the mix for Gabriel Landeskog and Jake Muzzin this summer. There are others they could acquire, but at this point in time, I don’t know names they’d be looking at.
All in all, the Bruins will have what it takes to get back to the playoffs next season. The Atlantic Division did have a down year in 2016–17, so it will be a battle to get a spot in the dance with teams like Tampa Bay and Florida regaining form. However, they have the talent and the ability to be a playoff team and to win a playoff series.
The offseason is almost among us. The roster will start to take shape, and soon, but not soon enough, hockey will be back among us, even though it is still among us at this moment.
