The Bruins are in it to win it this season, but not necessarily only this season.

To be certain, the bills are going to come due for Bruins GM Don Sweeney someday. After the team’s flurry of trade deadline additions, they now have no first-round pick until 2025 and no second-rounder until 2026. Sweeney will have to hope that the B’s really hit on the team’s third-round picks in 2023 and 2025 and fourth-rounders in ’23 and ’24.

But that doesn’t mean the Bruins won’t eventually feel the effects of punting on what’s supposed to be a deep 2023 draft class, and pushing other big chips into the middle of the table for this year. But that still should be a long way off.

Because despite the all-in nature of the 2023 edition of the B’s, they’ll be right back in the mix in 2024 and beyond. And just because they won’t be a total wagon doesn’t mean they won’t be contenders. They will.

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• The long-awaited extension of goal-scoring extraordinaire David Pastrnak has alleviated a lot of potential long-term concerns. Not necessarily because Pastrnak is expected to carry the team, but because the B’s simply had to lock up an elite goal-scoring talent while they had one. They could not be trusted to replace Pastrnak himself, nor to spend his $11.25 million per season wisely on equivalent talent.

  Pastrnak is now a pillar of the Bruins’ next generation, the next run. And he’s just one of several that have already been locked up.

  Franchise winger? Pastrnak. Franchise defenseman? Charlie McAvoy is getting better every year, and is already a 50-point defenseman with a strong two-way game who is just about to enter his prime. Franchise goaltender? Vezina favorite and Hart Trophy candidate Linus Ullmark is in the fold for the next two years, and Jeremy Swayman continues to show promise as a potential elite guy for beyond.

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  Jan 28, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) celebrate a goal during the third period against the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Mowry-USA TODAY Sports

• And the list of core players in it for the long haul does not stop there. Here’s a quick rundown of the Bruins signed beyond 2024:

  Signed Through 2031

  David Pastrnak

  Signed Through 2030

  Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm

  Signed Through 2027

  Pavel Zacha, Brandon Carlo

  Signed Through 2026

  Charlie Coyle

  Signed Through 2025

  Brad Marchand, Linus Ullmark, Taylor Hall

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  Mar 26, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) (right) talks with his new defensive partner defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) before a face-off against the New York Islanders during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

• Swayman will be a candidate for an extension or short-term bridge deal after the current season, when he becomes a restricted free agent. Trent Frederic and Jakub Lauko are also on track to become RFAs, and should be able to re-sign affordably if the B’s want to retain them for bottom-six depth.

  The biggest question for the transition from 2023 to 2024, meanwhile, is the future of Patrice Bergeron. The captain and future Hall of Famer is now on a year-to-year basis with the Bruins, and is doing them a solid by taking minimal money in a tight cap situation.

  My personal belief is that Bergeron returns for at least one more season in 2023-24, but you never know. He could hoist the Stanley Cup this summer then decide that’s enough hockey for a lifetime. But he clearly still has enough in the tank (22 goals, 25 assists) to be a strong on-ice contributor at age 38.

  

  Feb 16, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) reacts after a goal during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

• David Krejci’s status for 2023-24 seems more in doubt than Bergeron’s. And at the same time, the Bruins should look into keeping at least one or two of their 2023 trade deadline additions, all of whom are currently rentals on track to hit the open market.

  If they do look into doing that, it will inevitably come with sacrifices in the form of cap casualties. Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Jakub Zboril, and Mike Reilly are all on the books for a combined $13.7 million in 2023-24. If they want to move an even bigger contract, they could look into trying to trade Taylor Hall ($6M), Charlie Coyle ($5.25M), or Brandon Carlo ($4.1M). With enough added cap space, they can get their money’s worth on the traded first-round picks by locking up defenseman Dmitry Orlov and/or winger Tyler Bertuzzi.

  Orlov has made a huge early impact since coming over from the Capitals, with three goals, four assists, eight hits, and five blocked shots in just four games as a Bruin. He plays the kind of heavy defensive game that the B’s have needed more of in recent years, and has the versatility to play either side of the blue line. Despite Orlov being 31 years old, it would be wise for Sweeney to make the trade really count and keep him around a few more years.

  Bertuzzi, meanwhile, is in his prime at age 28 and has a chance to quickly become a fan favorite among Bruins fans. He’s expected to make his debut on Saturday against the Rangers and he should soon conjure memories of a younger Brad Marchand, as an elite agitator who can also contribute on the scoreboard.

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  DETROIT, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 07: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his first period goal with teammates while playing the Edmonton Oilers at Little Caesars Arena on February 07, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

• Obviously, where the Bruins will really be missing out in the near future is with prospects. But they already have a few of those in the pipeline, a much-welcome dose of optimism after years of struggling to replenish their system.

  Forward Fabian Lysell, a 2021 first-round pick, projects as a high-end scoring wing at the NHL level. He has the requisite speed & skill to fit nicely in the current ecosystem of the league. If all goes well for him, he’ll be the 1A to Pastrnak on the right side.

  Russian winger Georgii Merkulov is a right shot who’s been playing on the left side in Providence, and he’s red-hot, with 15 points in his last 11 games. There’s a chance we see him in Boston at some point down the stretch this season, as the team looks to rest players ahead of the playoffs. Defenseman Mason Lohrei, meanwhile, is in his second season at Ohio State, and is third on the team with 26 points in 34 games.

  Other prospects carry potential as NHL regulars, if not better. Centers Matthew Poitras, Brett Harrison, and John Beecher could all be wearing a spoked ‘B’ within the next 1–3 years.

• 

  NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Fabian Lysell #68 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on September 28, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

• That last part is important. It could be the difference between the Bruins loading up for another Stanley Cup window a few years down the road, or being left chasing that top-flight center they’re eventually going to need. They have the franchise defenseman and wing, and are certainly going to be good enough in goal. Center will be a big, giant question mark, and they’re unlikely to find that next cornerstone within the next few drafts.

  No all-in year comes without some risk, and for the Bruins, it’s in the long-term, at the back end of the Pastrnak and McAvoy extensions. It’s possible that around 2030, the Bruins look like the current Chicago Blackhawks, bereft of complementary talent around aging stars as they look to move Pastrnak, McAvoy, and/or Lindholm for valuable draft capital en route to a real reset. Make no mistake that a reset will have to come at some point.

  It’s just not going to be in 2024.

  The Bruins may not be a wagon after the current season, and 2023 may turn out to be their best chance in the next decade to win the Stanley Cup. If they don’t finish the job, after everything Sweeney has done to plug every hole and make them as close to a flawless team as we’ve ever seen in Boston, it will be a colossal disappointment.

  But it won’t be over. The Bruins aren’t going away any time soon.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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