Things can't end quick enough for some members of the Black and Gold.
Things have been quickly spiraling out of control for the Boston Bruins the last couple of months. They have gone from third place in the Atlantic Division just six weeks ago to being in danger of finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. What a collapse.
That free fall forced the hand of general manager Don Sweeney to be a seller at the trade deadline, shipping out defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche, and Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. All three players are going to the postseason with an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.
As far as the current Bruins go, they just went 0-5-0 on a five-game road trip, and are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. Remember when they picked up stunning wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Panthers right after the trade deadline? This season can't end enough for some members of the team and here are three that need things to end sooner rather than later.
Jeremy Swayman
Last summer and through training camp, Jeremy Swayman was going through contract talks with the Bruins and Sweeney and things went so long without one side budging that he missed all of camp before signing two days before the regular season began at Florida. Missing all of training camp matters and Swayman is proof of that.
It feels like both sides could have avoided the drama that was contract negotiations, and the former University of Maine standout hasn't played anywhere where he needed to. He is 20-26-6 after a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night with a 3.10 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage. He gave up a "soft goal'' to Detroit, and that has become an all-too-common theme this year. He needs to get away and clear his head this off-season and hope things turn around next season.
Elias Lindholm
If there was one huge swing and a miss this off-season in free agency, it was Elias Lindholm. You could also add Nikita Zadorov into that conversation as well, but at least he has been better this recently. Lindholm has been a disaster since signing a seven-year, $54.25 million contract with a $7.75 million AAV. Yikes.
Lindholm has 13 goals and 25 assists this season and has a plus/minus of minus-12. It's fair to say that Sweeney misjudged Lindholm's place in the lineup and during Saturday night's broadcast on ABC, Ray Ferraro said that Lindholm is good for 50-60 points a season. That sounds about right and this contract is going to be a very bad one and brutal one to try and move. Boston better hope a full off-season and a reset are what Lindholm needs to bounce back in 2025-26.
Joe Sacco
When the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery, Sacco has tabbed as the interim coach. Things haven't gone as well as Sacco or the team had hoped, but it's not on him. It's on the front office for the roster construction, but as is the case in just about all circumstances, Sacco will take the fall, not Sweeney or Cam Neely.
Sacco sounds like he is defeated after each game and who can blame him? Not me. He is left with an AHL roster with injuries and trades and things are not going to get better over the final eight games. His future remains in doubt and one can't think that he wouldn't be upset if the team parted ways with him this year. Again, it's not his fault at all.
