The Boston Bruins' centennial season has come and gone. It was full of joy and celebration, as they had a night celebrating the history of the organization. One of the most memorable was when the 2011 Stanley Cup winning team was in the building, taking a nice walk down memory lane. However, the ride is over and the Bruins' season is over. Despite a strong push in Game 5 to force a Game 6, Gustav Forsling's heroics sent the Bruins home in heartbreaking fashion. However, this season was far from a disappointment and should not be viewed as such.
The Bruins lost cap pieces in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement, but they also traded for a key player in Taylor Hall. Losing key pieces like that is hard to come back from, but the Bruins ended up winning. What looked like a bridge year turned out to be more than that.
General manager (GM) Don Sweeney signed a number of low budget players, such as Danton Heinen, James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Geekie, and Kevin Shattenkirk. For the most part, all of those guys played a key role in the Bruins' successful season, where they finished second in the Atlantic Division with 109 points. But an important season awaits.
The Bruins have key players who will be free agents, but Sweeney will have $22 million to spend. But where does the team go from here and what should be the priority of the summer? Let's dive in.
Locking Jeremy Swayman
The transition from Tuukka Rask to the next in line has been smooth and easy. Although primarily used as a tandem, the Bruins have found out who their goaltender of the future is. Jeremy Swayman put to rest any questions about who should be the starting goalkeeper. That's no mean feat for his best friend Linus Ullmark, but this postseason run has solidified that he's number one. Head coach Jim Montgomery chose not to use the tandem and it's safe to say that paid off. Swayman made 12 starts for the Bruins and finished with a .933 save percentage (SV%). In addition, he finished the postseason allowing two goals or less in nine of 12 games. That's what you want to see in your first goal and he delivered. He should be the Bruins' best prospect and the first contract they lock up this offseason.
Given the state of the team and what the Bruins can aim to accomplish with this core group, riding with a young goaltender gives them years to compete and get Swayman's best years. Also, he has been a goalie who has gotten better each season and expanded his game. Here's how he's looked each season since joining the Bruins:
2020-21
- Ten games played (GP)
- .945 SV%
- 1.50 goal-against average (GAA)
- 5.6 goals saved above expectations (GSAx)
2021-22
- it's 41g
- .914 SV%
- 2.41 GAA
- 4.2 GSAx
2022-23
- it's 37g
- .920 SV%
- 2.27 GAA
- 24 GSAx
2023-24
- it's 43g
- .916 SV%
- 2.53 GAA
- 18.4 GSAx
The numbers speak for themselves and he deserves every dollar that comes his way. In addition, Boston feels like home to him. When he came out for the last time, the fans showered him with love and after the game he said,
“I can't be more thankful to have a city, to have a supportive home base like Boston.”
Swayman is the present and the future and should be Sweeney's first order of business.
Check out the Linus Ullmark Trade
The next order of business must be within its other mission. It was a great blessing for the Bruins to have two goals of the same kind, leaving Ullmark seems like a possible situation. For the second straight season, the Bruins rode a one-goal lead all the way and this time it wasn't Ullmark. It's no small thing for him, who actually looked good in the one game he played in this final year. But it was just that Swayman was that good and it was hard to justify taking him out.
Related: Bruins Offense Dry and Marchand Can't Keep It Up
Ullmark has been a steady goaltender for the Bruins since signing in free agency. From 2021-2024, Ullmark played 131 games, posting a .924 SV%, 2.28 GAA, and 49.37 GSAx. In addition, this is the goaltender who won the Vezina Trophy in the 2022-23 season, posting the best SV%, GAA, and goals scored. He will be hot on the heels, as teams look for a top goalkeeper.
According to Kevin Weekes, Sweeney tried to make a trade involving Ullmark at the trade deadline, but it didn't go through, as he prevented it due to geographical reasons. Ullmark will have a 15-team no-trade clause when the 2024-25 season begins and has one year left on his $5 million contract. With teams like the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings looking for goaltending help, Ullmark is an attractive piece. Sweeney has money to spend this summer, but moving his valuable player to help improve the team is a possibility.
Adding Deep Points
Head coach Jim Montgomery said it was the best after the second round exit against the Panthers. In the post-match press conference, he said, “I didn't feel the frustration, but our lack of scoring ability in general. You can't win every game 2-1.” After seeing the likes of Hall and winger Tyler Bertuzzi leave the team, the question was on scoring and who would step up in their absence. Unfortunately, that was a problem and it was obvious in this thread.
Credit to the Panthers, as they are a solid defensive team and effective in pressure shooting. However, the Bruins generally weren't the strongest team even in the regular season. As a team at five-on-five, they were 27th in shot attempts, 22nd in shots on goal, and finished 13th in goals in all situations. They were in the middle of the pack offensively and were carried by star linebacker David Pastrnak.
Pastrnak put together another stellar campaign, as he proved 2022-23 was no fluke. He finished the season with 47 goals and 110 points. The scary thing is the depth scoring. For the second straight season, none other than Pastrnak has surpassed the 30-goal mark. The next closest player was 29-year-old captain Brad Marchand. This is also the second season in which Pastrnak has finished 40-plus points ahead of the next closest player. Simply put, the Bruins need more firemen offensively and cannot rely solely on Pastrnak offensively.
The Bruins got stellar campaigns from Marchand, Pavel Zacha, and Charlie Coyle, but it was much different in the playoffs and this team needed more than the 82-game sample size offered. Sweeney will be a busy man and will have that on his to-do list.
An important offseason awaits in Boston
The century was one to remember and will never be forgotten. This team defied expectations, and even saw young players like Matthew Poitras and Mason Lohrei enter the scene. It finished with 109 points and went deeper into the play-offs than in the previous two years.
There will be things to fix and areas to improve. Swayman's detention should be a priority. Although it was amazing to hug the goalkeeper, the time to advance is clear and if the team can get more points, they will be in a much better position going forward.
Source link
