As the NHL off-season moves into August, I’ll be taking a look at what the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Atlantic Division opponents have done thus far in the off-season. Next up, let’s review what the Boston Bruins has done.
At this point in the NHL off-season, most teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already made most of their big moves and look to get ready for the upcoming season. Some teams have traded away their valuable assets for big name players or made a splash in the free agency market, while others have remained relatively quiet during the summer months.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at what the Lightning’s divisional opponents have done in the off-season thus far. There have been some moves within the division as well as blockbuster trades and questionable acquisitions among the eight teams in the Atlantic.
The third team we’ll look at is the Boston Bruins and what the front office has done this off-season after two straight seasons without a playoff appearance and some questionable moves in the recent past by former members of management.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Two full seasons removed from their 2013-14 President Trophy winning season, the Bruins find themselves in a bit of a dicey situation. They missed out on a playoff berth by three points in 2014 and a seemingly narrow margin of one fewer ROW in 2015 when the Detroit Red Wings edged them out for third place in the division.
As you can see, it’s been a frustrating couple of years for the team and their fans, but they’ll try to close the gap this coming season.
Many have said that the 2011 Stanley Cup championship is a distant memory, and while that may be true, the Bruins want to get back into contention status quickly and with some of their core still intact, you can’t overlook Boston just yet. But, there are some areas that need to be addressed that are holding them back.
Over the past three seasons, the Bruins have hovered around or over the 50 percent mark in Corsi percentage and been around the top in goals for per game, so their possession and offensive numbers aren’t bad, even though Corsi and Fenwick together doesn’t tell the whole story, rather it has been the defense and goaltending at times that have been to blame for the team’s shortcomings.
The loss of Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames in a trade before the 2015 Draft has likely set them back on defense the next few seasons unless the front office brings in someone else of a higher caliber and Loui Eriksson leaving via free agency will hurt them on offense this coming season. The 31-year-old Sweden native, now with the Vancouver Canucks, scored 30 goals for the Bruins in 2015-16, which is something that he’s only done twice in his 10 season career.
In addition, the long-time Bruins defenseman and 1996 New York Islanders draft pick, Zdeno Chara, is getting up there in age at 39-years-old and he will likely retire in the next season or so, leaving a hole on defense. Aside from Chara and fellow blue liner Torey Krug, the defense cupboard in Boston is a bit bare.
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With the playoffs in mind, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will have to improve on his 31-win, .915 save percentage, and 2.56 goals against average campaign last season and post numbers similar to his Vezina Trophy winning season in 2013-14 if he wants to deliver Boston back to the postseason. It’s entirely possible and it’ll be interesting to see how he performs over the course of this season.
Also, retaining head coach Claude Julien after two disappointing finishes has been the cause of some controversy among the fanbase and the rest of the league and many think that if the team fails to qualify for the playoffs once again, he’ll be out the door after this season. It’s just another piece of drama added to this historic NHL franchise.
With all that said, let’s take a look at what second-year General Manager Don Sweeney and the front office has done this off-season to help push the Boston Bruins back to the top and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Major Transactions
Following the 2016 NHL Draft, the Boston Bruins announced that they tendered qualifying offers to six players on June 27. Those players are Chris Casto, Brian Ferlin, Alexander Khokhlachev, Torey Krug, Colin Miller and Joe Morrow. Five of the six players were considered “Group 2 Free Agents.” [Boston Bruins]
On June 30, the Bruins re-signed the aforementioned defenseman, Torey Krug, to a four-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.25 million. The 25-year-old Michigan native appeared in all but one game last season and recorded 44 points and played around 22 minutes a night, which was second on the team. Krug looks to be an important piece on the blue line for the Bruins for seasons to come. [Boston Bruins]
On the same day, the Bruins bought out the final year of veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg‘s contract, which carried a $4 million cap hit the next two seasons. Seidenberg, the 35-year-old native of Germany, recorded only 12 points in 61 games last season and has been hampered by injuries the past few years, though he appeared in 82 games in 2014-15. He joined the Bruins in the 2009-10 season and won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2011. [Boston Bruins]
Likely their biggest acquisition this off-season, the Bruins signed free agent forward and former captain of the St. Louis Blues, David Backes, to a five-year contract with an AAV of $6 million. Backes was a key member and leader of the Blues during his 10 year tenure there and he helped lead the team to its first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since 2001 in 2016. The 32-year-old Minnesota native will look to provide some extra depth to the forward position in Boston. [
Backes was a key member and leader of the Blues during his 10 year tenure there and he helped lead the team to its first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since 2001 in 2016. The 32-year-old Minnesota native will look to provide some extra depth to the forward position in Boston. [Boston Bruins]
Also on the opening day of free agency, the Bruins re-signed veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles to a one-year contract worth $2 million and defenseman Tommy Cross and forward Tyler Randell to one-year, two-way contracts. [Boston Bruins]
On July 1, the Bruins welcomed back goaltender Anton Khudobin to the organization and signed him to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.2 million. Khudobin served as the backup to current Bruins netminder, Tuukka Rask, during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and will look to provide some extra depth in goal while they try to find their way back to the playoffs. [Boston Bruins]
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Minor Transactions
June 16 – Boston Bruins sign forward Peter Cehlarik to a three-year, entry-level contract
July 1 – Boston Bruins sign forward Riley Nash from the Carolina Hurricanes to a two-year contract
July 1 – Bruins sign forward Tim Schaller to a one-year, two-way contract
July 14 – Bruins sign forward Colin Miller to a two-year, one-way contract and defenseman Joe Morrow to a one-year, one-way contract. [Boston Bruins]
After those transactions, the Bruins are left with around $6.7 million in salary cap space before the season begins.
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Draft
Round 1 – (14th overall) Charlie McAvoy, Defenseman, Boston University (NCAA – Hockey East)
Round 1 – (29th overall) Trent Frederic, Forward, University of Wisconsin (BIG Ten)
Round 2 – (49th overall) Ryan Lindgren, Defenseman, University of Minnesota (BIG Ten)
Round 5 – (135th overall) Joona Koppanen, Forward, Ilves Jr.
Round 5 – (136th overall) Cameron Clarke, Defenseman, Ferris State University (WCHA)
Round 6 – (165th overall) Oskar Steen, Forward, Farjestad BK (SHL)
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Conclusion
The Boston Bruins have some work to do if they want to make it back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this coming season and it starts with consistency. Tuukka Rask will need to have a better year in goal and so will the team in front of him throughout the regular season.
One reason why the Bruins failed to qualify for the postseason for the second consecutive year was because the team couldn’t find a groove, as the longest winning streak of the year came in November during a five-game stretch.
General Manager Don Sweeney has made a few questionable moves during his short tenure in Boston and while he is not to blame for everything that has happened since his hiring, there are some things that can five-gamed in his direction for why the team hasn’t performed as well.
Letting Loui Eriksson walk may or may not come back to haunt him, but for now, he and the team have to get past it. Bruins fan hope that he won’t pull any terrible moves like former GM Peter Chiarelli did towards the end of his time in Boston.
Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Detroit Red Wings
This coming season will be an interesting one for the Bruins and the rest of the Atlantic Division. While the two Florida teams are expected to be near the top of the standings throughout the regular season, Boston will certainly be in the playoff mix if all goes well and could be competing for third place or a wild card spot. In my next rival report post, I’ll take a look at another divisional opponent and review what that team has done in the off-season thus far.