I hope you enjoyed your summer because it is officially O-V-E-R.
I’m, like, 90 percent talking to myself when I say that, I admit. But when the sun rises and shines on the tarps over the windows at Brighton’s Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins will open their doors for their first (somewhat organized) on-ice activity of the 2023-24 season, as the team will hold a captains practice with media availability at 11 a.m.
It will be the first time we’ve seen the Bruins since their break-up day following their stunning first-round exit to the Panthers, and boy oh boy, have things changed since then.
Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both called it a career, the Bruins lost an assistant coach they still haven’t replaced, and pretty much every free agent the B’s had landed somewhere else.
It wasn’t fun, but it also wasn’t boring.
And with such a busy offseason, even if it was for the wrong reasons most of the time, it’s time to turn the page and give one last look at what was, what never became, and what’s next for Jim Montgomery and the Bruins.
Bruins will be happy they didn’t overextend themselves for Tyler Bertuzzi
Mar 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) watches a face-off against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
The Bruins ultimately entered free agency with the belief that they would not be able to re-sign 2023 trade deadline addition and playoff standout Tyler Bertuzzi.
Now, they absolutely wanted to keep him, and I do believe they explored every possible pathway to making it a reality in the days and weeks leading up to Bertuzzi hitting the open market. But a lot of things were working against the B’s in that respect. The biggest obstacle being the belief that Bertuzzi had a white-hot market, with about half a dozen suitors believed to be in the mix and prepared to make big-dollar offers, and that the greener pastures that awaited him on July 1 would surely price him out of Boston in both years and dollars. (That’s a lot of green.)
Bertuzzi’s camp ultimately proved to overplay their hand on that front, and the 28-year-old ‘settled’ for a one-year deal with Toronto worth $5.5 million. The Bruins themselves were a bit surprised by this development and ending.
Their talks with Bertuzzi and his camp were always centered on long-term deals. While a one-year deal wasn’t considered a ‘non-starter’ for the sides, it wasn’t something that the Bruins considered to be a realistic landing spot for the sides, especially with the B’s obvious cap constraints. Even if the Bruins were presented with the chance to make that deal, the math always suggested that it was going to be borderline impossible for the club to make it work.
And you know what? Fine.
If Bertuzzi played center, this is an entirely different discussion. Actually, if Bertuzzi played center, I’d be entering Month 3 of complaining about their refusal to find enough common ground to strike a deal. But Bertuzzi is a wing, and on the Bruins, he’d be their fourth-best wing behind David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Jake DeBrusk. This summer was never the summer to dump even more assets just to keep a winger. A center? Different story.
But what if I told you they'd be even more screwed if they signed him: https://t.co/fJBP3onxln pic.twitter.com/excfKZQFdJ
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) July 18, 2023Bertuzzi’s departure from the Bruins was also interesting because it allowed me to see his real-time transformation from Tyler Bertuzzi to Wayne Gretzky. Listen, for as strong of a playoff scorer as Bertuzzi was, he was still a trainwreck in his own zone, and he finished the postseason on the ice for seven five-on-five goals against (most on the team). One of his worst giveaways ended up in the back of the Boston net, and actually proved to make the difference in a one-goal loss.
So it’s off to Toronto, where Bertuzzi will almost certainly put up a ridiculous season numbers-wise playing with Auston Matthews or John Tavares so long as he’s healthy (and that’s been an issue for him in his career). But if and when the Bruins come up short in 2024, it won’t be because they didn’t strip down the roster even further just to keep Bertuzzi around.
And if it is, well, the good news is that he’s hitting the market again in 2024.
In weird way, hole at center not worst thing for Bruins to have to work through
Jan 19, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers with center David Krejci (46) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) during the first period. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
Talking about the Bruins, you can’t ignore the top-six elephant in the room, and that’s that the Bruins are entering the 2023-24 season without both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Simply put, a team whose entire window of Stanley Cup contention was seemingly based on having that one-two punch down the middle now has neither player on their roster.
That is, well, to put it lightly, a staggering loss for Jim Montgomery’s club entering the new season.
There’s some people that adhere to the ‘it’s a bandaid, rip it off’ approach and others who think that’s an absolutely crazy way to look at it. I’m probably more aligned with the latter (I could’ve watched Bergeron play hockey for another 20 years and I think the B’s themselves feel the same way), but I do see the tangible benefit to the bandaid being ripped off.
Namely when it comes to that second line, and with Pavel Zacha expected to shift to the middle.
Inked to a four-year, $19 million extension midway through his first season with the club, Zacha can excel playing left wing opposite David Pastrnak. We know that. There’s enough of a sample from last year’s run to convince one that Zacha can be a solid, complementary left wing on a line with Pastrnak. The 26-year-old Zacha also had a strong late-season run as a center with Pastrnak, and had a decent effort at the position during Boston’s seven-game playoff run.
But whether or not he can do it for a full 82 remains to be seen, and his ability or inability to hang at that spot could have franchise-altering effects on the club. If Zacha can prove to be a strong top-six center option, that takes a lot off the mind of Don Sweeney when it comes to building out his 2024-25 roster and beyond. (The Bruins know they’re going to need a high-impact center, but if they only have to add one instead of two, that’s a biiiiiiig difference in a lot of respects.)
Drafted by the Devils as a natural center, Zacha’s first run as a top-six center came with mixed results, and ultimately led to Zacha being moved to Boston in a one-for-one trade with journeyman Erik Haula.
That obviously doesn’t happen if Zacha proves capable of being a top-six center. But now, in Boston, and with Pastrnak riding to his right, this may be his best shot yet.
On the B’s situation in net…
Apr 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) reacts with goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) after defeating the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
One of the most common questions I’ve fielded this summer online, on the radio, and in person has been why are the Bruins sticking with the two-goalie system? Or, alternatively, why didn’t they trade a goaltender?
Well, the simple answer on the latter is that the market was never quite there when it came to moving a goaltender.
Halfway through his four-year, $20 million contract with the club, Linus Ullmark‘s value (in theory) was never higher than it was this season after leading the league in wins, goals against average, and save percentage (that made him the first goalie Triple Crown winner since Carey Price) on the way to winning the Jennings Trophy and Vezina Trophy. Again, that’s in theory. Theory doesn’t always translate to reality, and that was indeed the case for the Bruins this summer.
Knowing their cap situation and how they had to ditch money, teams were eager to rip the Bruins off at every stop and turn. (The fact that they didn’t have to throw in a pick to get rid of Taylor Hall’s $6 million salary is probably a miracle, though it explains why the Bruins received two minor-league defensemen in exchange for Hall.) Ullmark also had considerable trade protection, with a no-trade clause that required his consent to be traded to about half the league.
My understanding — and this is through some backchannel rumblings and conversations, so take it with a grain of salt, of course — is that there was one team out there who had interest in giving Sweeney and the Bruins what would you consider a fair, market value return for Ullmark. But that trade would have required a corresponding trade that never happened, and it would have also required Ullmark agreeing to waive his no-trade clause.
As it relates to trading Jeremy Swayman, I don’t think the Bruins were ever all that interested in doing that. I also know that there was a rumor out there that suggested that Swayman wanted a trade to be closer to family in Alaska. What I can tell you regarding that is that Swayman’s parents no longer live in Alaska, and that that rumor is and was “bogus.”
This also brings us to the bigger picture here, which is that the Bruins shouldn’t abandon the two-goalie system because it may very well be their backbone in 2023-24. Boston’s scoring punch and depth has taken an undeniable hit, and same for their center depth. They may have to win games 2-1, 3-2 with a bit more regularity in 2023-24, and what’s the best way to do that? Having a well-rested, always-prepared one-two punch in net.
What they do with that position in the playoffs remains to be seen (I’m absolutely pro-rotation if it’s what they do in the regular season and how they punch their ticket), but for a full 82, there’s no denying that the Ullmark-Swayman combination works.
‘RD3’ battle should be an interesting one
Jan 24, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) looks to pass in the second period against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. (Matt Kartozian/USA TODAY Sports)
Coming up with a viable replacement plan for the loss of Connor Clifton may not have been at the top of your concern list this time last year, but after what was a breakout year Clifton and his subsequent departure for Buffalo, just what the Bruins do at a vacant ‘RD3’ spot is going to be worth watching in training camp.
The early favorite, of course, is veteran Kevin Shattenkirk. Signed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract, Shattenkirk is coming to Boston after a 2022-23 campaign that included four goals and 27 points in 75 games for Anaheim. Shattenkirk also finished the season on a high note, really, with four goals and 16 points over the final 32 games of the season after beginning the year with zero goals and just 11 points in his first 43 games of the season.
But Shattenkirk is expected to have at least two players nipping at his blades for minutes and opportunity with Reilly Walsh and Ian Mitchell also added to the mix for the upcoming season.
Walsh comes to the Bruins after a 2022-23 season spent entirely with AHL Utica, and with nine goals and 41 points in 71 games for the Comets. His 41 points ranked second among all Utica skaters (tops among defensemen), and made him the 17th-highest scoring defenseman in the AHL. It was actually his second straight season of at least nine goals and 41 points for Walsh, too, as the 24-year-old put up nine goals and 43 points in his true breakthrough year for the Comets in 2021-22.
Mitchell, meanwhile, was acquired from the Blackhawks in the Hall trade, and reports to Boston following a 2022-23 campaign that included a career-high seven assists and eight points, along with a career-high 15:50 of time on ice, in 35 games for Chicago. A 2017 second-round pick, the 5-foot-11 Mitchell has skated in 82 games for the Blackhawks since 2021, with four goals and 16 points, along with a minus-21 rating and 83 blocks, and 15:04 per night.
I really think Walsh is a name to watch here. While it’s unclear if his game will translate to the NHL, the viewing experiences I’ve had of him in the AHL leads me to believe that he’s a player who can push the pace and contribute with a big hit every now and then. If he has a strong camp, can he make life uncomfortable for Shattenkirk and push him to the press box as the proverbial No. 7 defenseman or perhaps push another defenseman to the waiver wire?
Jakub Zboril, a left shot who can play the right side, also remains in the mix and could challenge for the spot.
Can ‘JVR’ have bounce-back year with Bruins?
James van Riemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers warms up in a St. Patrick’s Day-themed jersey prior to a game against the Buffalo Sabres on March 17, 2023. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
One of the more intriguing low-risk, high-reward signings made by the Bruins this offseason was their inking of veteran wing James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract.
A familiar name to Bruins fans from his time at UNH and stops in Philadelphia and Toronto, ‘JVR’ comes to the Bruins after his scoring absolutely bottomed out with Philly in 2022-23, with 12 goals and 29 points in 61 games played. Both the 12 goals and 29 points were ‘good’ for van Riemsdyk’s second-lowest single-season total, with only his 2011-12 worse in what’s been a 14-year NHL career as a net-front threat.
The struggles were especially ugly on the power play, as the 6-foot-3 wing scored just two power-play goals last season, and in over 130 minutes of power-play time on ice. It was a seven-goal dropoff from his 2021-22 mark, and just nine NHL forwards scored fewer power-play goals with at least 130 minutes of man-advantage action than van Riemsdyk did.
But perhaps the Bruins think he’s due for a bounce-back year on the power play, and maybe the analytics are working in their favor with that hope.
Despite his two-goal output on the power play, van Riemsdyk had an individual expected goals for of 4.75 (second on the Flyers, and his 28 individual high-danger scoring chances for was tops among all Philadelphia skaters and ranked 47th in the entire NHL. The Bruins could be looking at those numbers and saying, “Listen, just playing on the same power play as David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will increase that goal total by a solid five or six.”
The Bruins are expected to start the 34-year-old van Riemsdyk to the left of Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak on their second line, so the opportunity will be there on both the power play and at five-on-five play.
Captaincy questions remain…
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 04: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins talks to Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins during a game against the Vancouver Canucks at TD Garden on February 4, 2020. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Personally, I wasn’t expecting a resolution on this front to come before the players started to report back to Boston, but Tuesday will see the Bruins go through a ‘captains practice’ without an official captain on their roster.
Training camp could also come and go without the naming of a new team captain. But the fact that the question still remains is an interesting one to follow. I said it a little while back and I still believe this to be the case, but if there’s a captain to be named this season, I think it’s really between either Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy.
In the case of Marchand, giving the ‘C’ to the longtime assistant captain would represent the natural continuation of the culture that Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron helped establish during their time in Boston. Marchand has shown tremendous evolution and progress as a positive on- and off-ice presence for the Bruins, even if he is prone to occasionally losing his mind, with his last notable incident of such coming in 2021-22 with his run-in with the Pens’ Tristan Jarry.
If there’s a ‘downside’ to giving the captaincy to Marchand (and I don’t think his suspension-heavy past is the biggest red flag to the Bruins), it’s that he probably only has another three years or so left in his career, and perhaps the Bruins aren’t overly interested in a game of hot potato with the captaincy and having that much turnover there.
McAvoy, meanwhile, seems like an obvious choice should the Bruins fully embrace the idea of moving ahead with the ‘next generation’ of the franchise with David Pastrnak as his running mate as their one-two punch. But perhaps there’s something to be said for McAvoy coming into that role naturally, and the Bruins giving him the ‘C’ when there’s absolutely no doubt that this is his team and that he’s completely ready to wear all of the responsibility that comes with it.
That’s not to suggest that he can’t handle it now, but maybe they feel it’s best not to rush his development as a leader.
If I have one complaint about the offseason…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Fabian Lysell #21 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 05, 2022 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I think the best way I can summarize the Bruins’ offseason is bitter acceptance. I don’t love that this is the situation that they found themselves in (going diving through the bargain bin on Day 1 is never fun, I know), but this is the fallout of going all in and coming up short. It was always ‘Cup or painful, painful bust’ as soon as the Bruins went deep into the LTIR pool in an attempt to put themselves over the top for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (It’s a gamble I think you would and should make another 99 times if given the chance, too. Time is finite but championships are forever, baby.)
So, in a lot of ways, what you’ve seen this summer is what people like me expected. It was always going to be about finding potential value adds and buying low on players whose stocks had plummeted. Again, that’s part of life in a hard-capped league in general, never mind when you have a cap ceiling absolutely wrecked with bonus overages.
But if there’s one thing I haven’t loved about this offseason, it’s that it feels like the Bruins’ roster is going to be a tough one for a young gun to crack out of the gate. This is similar to 2021-22 in some ways, as the Bruins opened their year saying it’s time for some young players to emerge… only to roadblock every potential breakthrough with a veteran signing.
Of course, the flip side to that is that the Bruins want their younger players to truly earn roles and unseat veteran players. That’s a sound strategy, and one that legitimately brings the best out of players. But if there’s one thing I know about NHL coaches from having covered three different ones, it’s that they’ll often defer to older players and if there’s one thing that I know about NHL general managers, it’s that they’ll avoid having to use waivers for as long as they can.
My only hope here is that if there’s a younger player truly deserving of the opportunity with a strong training camp performance — be it a Fabian Lysell, a Georgii Merkulov, Marc McLaughlin, or Mason Lohrei — that the Bruins have the stones to give them a look beyond camp and make a hard call elsewhere on the roster. There’s no reason not to in 2023-24.
I think we’re doing it again with the B’s…
Mar 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) reacts with defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) after scoring a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during overtime. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
Not to throw myself a parade here, but if we go back to this time last year, I was trying to tell you that the Bruins were going to be good. I even recommended that you throw some money on them to win the Atlantic because I felt too many were sleeping on them. And not to throw rotten garbage at a coworker here, but Tony Massarotti told his listeners that I was on drugs for saying this. (Just kidding, I am slowly smooshing a rotten banana into Mazz’s forehead at the end of my parade.)
Mazz wasn’t alone in this belief, of course. A lot of people out there thought I was a madman for thinking that the Bruins would be good in 2022-23. And while I’m not here to tell you that they’re going to set a wins or points record this upcoming season, I do fear that many are doing it again when it comes to the fate of the 2023-24 Bruins.
Let’s first acknowledge that there’s been a significant talent drain from the club this summer compared to last summer. But is it enough to take the Bruins from first to the basement? I’m honestly not so sure.
Let’s instead look at what the Bruins have. They have the best goalie tandem in the league, they have two Norris-contending defensemen in Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy, a Hart Trophy finalist in David Pastrnak, and one of the best three-zone wings in Brad Marchand. The Bruins also have a decent supporting cast with guys like Pavel Zacha, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, and Jake DeBrusk. Is it the best in the league? No, no it’s not, but it’s one hell of a starting point.
Those of you screaming doom from the rooftops may be closer to right this season, but I also think you’re grossly underestimating how bad you have to be to not compete in this league. Like you almost have to go out of your way to build a horrendous roster like the Blackhawks last year or the Sabres when they were in pursuit of Connor McDavid in 2014-15.
The Bruins’ foundational pieces will keep them in the mix most nights in 2023-24, and their division isn’t quite full of the juggernauts that many seem to think it is. A top-three spot in the Atlantic is very much in play for the team this year.
But if things are ugly, Sweeney and the Bruins better sell (and sell hard)
Feb 14, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (48) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins at American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
I think the Bruins will be a worthy viewing experience and product in 2023-24. But let’s say that they’re closer to fringe playoff team than top-three in their division in 2023-24. And let’s say that they’re closer to fringe playoff team entering the days and weeks leading up to the 2024 trade deadline. Say it with me now: Sell. Sell. SELL.
Sweeney and the Bruins have been in ‘win now’ mode for a long time now, but this feels like the closest thing you’ll get to a bridge year from this organization, and they gotta know and recognize that if it plays out that way. Namely when it comes to replenishing the asset pool if it’s clear that this is not a Cup-winning kind of squad.
The Bruins enter this season with eight pending unrestricted free agents on their roster, and only one of them (Jake DeBrusk) should be considered an automatic when it comes to the organization’s future. The other names on that list: James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, A.J. Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jakub Zboril. It may not be the sexiest list, but if there’s one thing we should consider an automatic, it’s that deadline prices are always higher than they are in September, and that the Bruins could certainly get something (and potentially something nice) for these players.
This is an avenue that Sweeney has never truly gone down during his time as Boston’s general manager, as the Bruins have always been varying degrees of buyer at the deadline, but at a certain point, you need to rebuild the ‘futures’ pool, be it for future trades or simply restocking the pipeline with high-end prospects.
In essence, don’t give me another Lee Stempniak or John-Michael Liles trade if it’s clear that this team is fatally flawed.
But another note to consider when it comes to a potential selloff: The 2024 first-round pick that the Bruins sent to Detroit in the Bertuzzi deal is top-10 protected. There’s a tangible benefit to the Bruins committing to a late-season tankjob if they’re on the fringes, and a sell-heavy deadline could push them closer to that. The Bruins would also love to get a top-10 pick out of their bridge year, especially with the team expected to buy big in 2024, making that 2025 first-round pick less valuable than a potential top-10 pick.
