Boston Bruins staring at the prospect of the dreaded R-word

The Boston Bruins are staring at the prospect of the dreaded R-word after a disastrous season that saw them go from playoff contenders to lottery-pick candidates.

While the lottery pick is, in some measure, consolation for the team’s worst season in nearly two decades, it signals the emergence of the R-word, well, “words”: rebuild or retool.

In this piece, we’re going to drill down at what a rebuild or a retool would look like for the Boston Bruins, as they attempt to get back into relevance in short order.

Breaking down a Boston Bruins retool and rebuild

A retool is the easiest way out

A retool, by definition, consists of a major roster overhaul while keeping the team’s main core in place. This path is the easiest one for the Boston Bruins since the team has cornerstone players already on the roster.

Firstly, David Pastrnak, the team’s presumptive next captain, is an elite, high-end scorer who should continue to put up 100-point seasons for the foreseeable future. Pastrnak is 28 and is under contract until 2031. That means he’s the face of the franchise for years to come.

Charlie McAvoy is a bona fide top-pairing defenseman. His season was derailed by an injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off. But, in all fairness, the Bruins season was already in the tank by then. McAvoy is another player the Bruins can build their blue line around, making him a pivotal core piece.

The Bruins also have a crucial position locked up with Jeremy Swayman. Swayman won’t be heralded as an elite goalie until he wins some hardware. But judging from his early performances, it’s only a matter of time before he gets there. With a solid team playing in front of him, Swayman could have his trophy case filled with awards sooner rather than later.

With Swayman, McAvoy, and Pastrnak all under contract till at least 2030, the challenge for the Bruins’ front office would be to build a solid supporting cast around them. If that’s the path, they’ll need one or two top-six wingers, at least another middle-six center, and a top-four blueliner.

That’s no easy task considering the significant cap constraints facing the team. According to PuckPedia, the Bruins only have $743K in cap space. That’s not enough to retool the roster. It means that money will have to go out.

The biggest anchor weighing the Bruins is Elias Lindholm’s $7.75 million cap hit. But even if the Bruins were to get out from under that cap hit, it wouldn’t be enough for a retool. Also, the Bruins have more than $11 million tied up in Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. If they play up to their contracts, then there’s nothing to worry about. But if they don’t, the contracts will end terribly.

The bad news about this retool is that the Bruins already attempted it last offseason. That means attempting a retool for a second summer in a row would mean having to move big contracts that, frankly, won’t get much attention.

So, the Bruins will need to get creative to add reinforcements with the limited cap space the team possesses.

Looking at what a rebuild would be like for Boston Bruins

So, what about a rebuild?

From my perspective, this would be a last resort for the Bruins. A rebuild would mean wasting the primes of Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman. If anything, the Bruins will likely have to trade all three of them at some point in order to clear space and stockpile draft picks.

That doesn’t seem to be the likeliest path at this point. The Bruins don’t have a pipeline filled with elite-level prospects. So, entering a rebuild would mean staring at about a lost decade as the team tries to get prospects to the NHL.

A good example of what Bruins fans can expect is the Detroit Red Wings' ongoing rebuild. It’s been nearly a decade and still no playoffs.

The Bruins will attempt one last kick at the can this upcoming season. They will need to find an experienced NHL head coach who can spark a turnaround (Tortorella? Tocchet?). Then, the Bruins will bank on a bounce-back year from Elias Lindholm and two healthy high-end blue liners in Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy.

Plus, the bet will be that Casey Mittelstadt can finally fulfill his potential, with younger players like Fraser Minten, Jakub Lauko, and Morgan Geekie becoming fixtures in the everyday lineup.

There’s no need for a rebuild in Boston, yet. But if the Bruins have another disastrous season, there may be no other choice but to leave Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman stranded until the team can turn things around.