Bruins can learn something from 2021 Stanley Cup Final

Author Ty Anderson

June 28th, 2021 5:57 PM

Not only did the Bruins fail to make it out of the second round for the third time in the last four years, but their failure to do so paved the way for what’s probably the worst fourth round imaginable for those of us living in Boston: A 2021 Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. Hmm… gross!

Whether or not you watch the 2021 Final is completely up to you. We do live in an area where the weather is nice for about 50 days out of a 365-day year, and it’s been nice, so opting out(side) is completely understandable.

But for those of us who will partake in misery watching because we simply don’t know any better, and hoping the Bruins themselves are among that group, this is a 2021 Stanley Cup Final that should come with a lesson or two for the B’s to learn.

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  Starting with the Lightning, it feels obvious to say that the Bruins still can't hang with Tampa Bay. We didn't get to see that in a season series or seven-game series this time around, I know, but this team is just a machine. They can win games 5-4 or 1-0 without breaking a sweat. That latter starts in net with the play of Andrei Vasilevskiy (he's had four straight series-clinching shutouts, which is an NHL record), while the former is a result of a star-studded forward grouping headlined by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, but truly led by the 5-foot-10, 166-pound Bryaden Point this time of year.
  
  How they got there, of course, is a point of contention, as their (icky-but-still-legal) cap circumvention allowed them to keep their core and roleplayers alike in town for another run in Tampa after winning the in-bubble Stanley Cup last summer.
  
  The fact remains, however, that Tampa is still the standard.
  
  It's something that goes beyond the aforementioned star talent that you can't simply go out and find on the corner, too. Look at the Tampa Bay defense. It's driven by do-it-all defenseman Victor Hedman, but behind him: There's the 6-foot-4 Erik Cernak, 6-foot-3 Mikhail Sergachev and Jan Ruuta, and 6-foot-2 Luke Schenn. They only added to their angry forest defense this past deadline, too, with their move for the Blue Jackets' David Savard (6-foot-2, third-most blocks among all NHL defenseman upon his trade to Tampa). In fact, the 'smallest' defenseman on their blue line is Ryan McDonagh, who is 6-foot-1 but plays like he's 6-foot-3 and is a threat in all three zones (watch the D-zone read he makes to create the lone goal in Tampa's Game 7 win).
  
  The Lightning have essentially designed their team to grind you down to nothing before you even get to the high-danger areas, and when you do, you're going to have to beat one of the best goaltenders in the world. Have fun!

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  This is an element that the Bruins could certainly use more of, especially with Matt Grzelcyk in an elevated role, and with both Brandon Carlo (four concussions since 2017) and veteran Kevan Miller struggling to stay healthy. With those two out of play, it became an uncontested shooting gallery on the Boston goal in round two. The Bruins are of course entering this offseason looking for a minute-eating, left-shot defenseman, but this team could probably use another two defensemen in addition to that player, especially if the upcoming expansion draft plays out the way many expect it to as it relates to Seattle's pick off the Boston roster. Some more size back there, or a wider reach with a defensive-zone sweep, should be of considerable importance.
  
  There's plenty of that available on this market, too, from the 6-foot-7 Jamie Oleksiak to Savard to possible 'second-tier' options like Jon Merrill (6-foot-3) and the 6-foot-5 Jani Hakanpaa. (Quick note: Merrill and Hakanpaa would be two names on my offseason wish list for the Bruins, with Hakanpaa being near the top with the B's in need of a third-pairing banger.)
  
  Another thing of note when it comes to the Bolts: This could be it for them as an unstoppable force. (I say this knowing full well they're gonna LTIR another star player for an entire year because of a stomach ache or find another point-per-game talent in their minor-league ranks.) But the Lightning are already over the cap for next year, and have some notable free agents to make calls on or let walk, including Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, and Savard. And if they want the Kraken to help them out of a bad contract with their expansion pick (Tyler Johnson has three more years at $5 million per), Tampa Bay will likely have to attach either another player or draft pick to him... the problem with that being that they've traded three of their first four picks in 2021, and traded their second and third rounds pick for 2022. They're running out of capital.
  
  In other words, the Bruins' desire for one last kick at the can could be a good play in the sense that the 2022 Lightning may not be what they've been for the last four years. Cap issues and the grind of back-to-back runs could very well water 'em down.
  
  When it comes to Montreal, it's the Canadiens' offseason that the B's should learn from when planning for their future.

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  Knowing that they were in need of a shake-up, Marc Bergevin went for a (hashtag) hockey trade with his move for the Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson in exchange for Max Domi. And between the regular season and postseason, Anderson has scored 20 goals in 69 games for Montreal, which is just slightly off his pace during a career-best 27-goal season for Columbus in 2018-19. The Bruins, mind you, were at one point considered in on Anderson. They also signed fellow one-time Bruins target Tyler Toffoli. With the Habs, Toffoli has scored 33 goals (seven game-winning goals) in 69 total games, including 28 in the regular season (seventh-most in hockey). This is after scoring 39 goals (seven game-winners) in his previous 157 games.
  
  In both instances, the Habs didn't settle for rumors, rumblings and near-trades. They went out and made moves.
  
  But the Canadiens also displayed patience when needed.
  
  With veteran winger Corey Perry still looking for a team to call his own just weeks before the start of the season, the Canadiens made their move and for the league minimum. Perry's value has been off the charts for the Habs, too, with 21 points in 49 regular-season games, and then another three goals and nine points in 17 games. Perry's been the exact kind of nasty you need to help find that extra gear this time of year, and was last seen sporting the scar to prove it.
  
  This has been an undeniable theme of recent offseasons as well. If you're patient and leave some cap space (a bag of nickels, really) hanging around, there's value guys out there and they can be had for cheap (the Bolts have their own with Pat Maroon) as camp draws closer and closer. Relating this to the Bruins, it's not hard to think that would've been had the Bruins taken advantage of this on the backend, with both Ben Hutton and Sami Vatanen among those looking for work late in the 2020 offseason and with the Bruins' postseason run ending with Jarred Tinordi logging significant minutes on the B's blue line.
  
  Let the misery-watching commence.

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

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Author Ty Anderson

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2021 bruins offseason,2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs,boston bruins,montreal canadiens,Tampa Bay Lightning