The 4 Nations Face-Off is over and the 2024-25 season is back. After nearly two weeks, the Boston Bruins are back on the ice with a string of home games. They lost in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 22 and will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 25. The team returns though without star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who suffered a shoulder injury during the tournament while playing for Team USA. They also remain without another top defenseman, Hampus Lindholm, who has been out since November and seems unlikely to return this season.
The next big date on the NHL calendar is March 7, the trade deadline. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for general manager Don Sweeney throughout his career. He has had some masterful moments, like the Taylor Hall addition in 2021 or the Tyler Bertuzzi trade in 2023. Both guys became impactful players and helpful additions in the playoffs. But Sweeney has also had his duds, like Rick Nash in 2018 and Ondrej Kase in 2020 (even if the main focus of that deal was getting rid of David Backes).
Last season, the Bruins had a pretty quiet trade deadline due to their lack of cap space. They should not be buyers again this season, given the performance they’ve shown on the ice in 2024-25.
Playoff Team vs. Legitimate Contender
The Bruins are tied for the longest active playoff streak in the NHL having made it to the postseason the last eight seasons. While they are currently sitting just outside of a spot, it doesn’t mean they won’t make it in when all is said and done.
Most playoff teams are usually buyers in some capacity at the trade deadline as they attempt to bulk up to make a run at the Stanley Cup in the postseason. Unfortunately for the Bruins, to state the obvious, it really doesn’t seem like a guarantee that the team will make it into the postseason, especially with losing their top defenseman for the foreseeable future. The uncertainty makes it a bit obvious that the team shouldn’t be buyers at the trade deadline.
But more than that, even if they still manage to get back into a playoff spot and want to get someone at the trade deadline to help them do so, I don’t think the cost would be worth it for the Bruins at this point. Yes, anything can happen in the NHL and there have been plenty of teams that just barely make the playoffs that manage to make a deep playoff run, but I don’t think the 2024-25 Bruins will be one of those teams. They could be a playoff team, but the signs are all pointing towards them not being a legitimate contender.
The Bruins have not had a ton of convincing wins or stretches where they looked like they could be unbeatable or make a real run. Their special teams remain disappointing, they’ve struggled to get shots on goal, and have made too many defensive mistakes that, in conjunction with a weaker goaltending performance than Boston has been used to, have led to much larger losses than in previous seasons.
The Bruins are a potential playoff team, but have shown no indication that they are legitimate contenders, and while the trade deadline can often be an opportunity to help fill out a team into a contender, this team isn’t one or two players away from becoming one. Nothing is indicating that they can be “fixed” by a couple of trades to turn the season around completely.
The reality is that the Bruins are currently sitting at 27-24-7, more losses than they had in the 2023-24 season, and are sixth in the Atlantic Division. There’s a chance they can get back ahead of the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings to make the playoffs, but after that, what are they really capable of? I’d love to see them prove me wrong and completely turn things on in the postseason, but I don’t think that will happen, so they shouldn’t be buyers, risking losing valuable draft picks and prospects, if they’re not convincing contenders.
Sellers or Nothing
The Bruins’ front office is aware of the issues with this current roster and has made earlier statements about figuring out if they’ll be buyers or will be re-tooling at the deadline. Since those comments were made in January, nothing has really drastically changed with the team to make them look like more of a contender.
With the approaching trade deadline, the wisest option for the Bruins, at this point, seems to be pointing toward doing nothing. This roster will remain competitive enough to keep games interesting and engage the fanbase. They are also still within striking distance of a playoff spot as it is and can keep the playoff streak alive.
There is an argument for the Bruins to be sellers and commit to re-tooling, or rebuilding, on the fly to prepare for next season. There are some guys like Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau who are heading into free agency this summer and could be of interest to better contenders looking to bulk up for the postseason. The Bruins could get some draft picks out of both of them and stock up at this year’s draft on prospects.
The biggest thing for this trade deadline is that the Bruins really shouldn’t be buyers. If they do things right over the next few months, they aren’t far away from being a legitimate contender. The core is in place, they just need to build the right pieces around them. Making big deals at the deadline, potentially losing draft picks or higher-end prospects, could shoot them in the foot and keep them stalled at the same spot they’ve been in for the last several seasons – a playoff team but not a legitimate contender. Another trade deadline deal isn’t going to change that at this point.
Re-evaluation Time
It’s been said pretty much all season, but here it is again, the Bruins need a change. A real change, not just one or two rental players they could grab at the deadline. Yes, the team should remain competitive for the rest of the 2024-25 season and try to make it into the playoffs. But beyond that, the front office needs to make some changes (ideally within their own ranks, but who knows if that will actually happen).
The Bruins need to incorporate more of their prospects, or trade them away for draft picks or new prospects. They need to make adjustments to the roster, and do more than just swapping out a winger or changing up the fourth line.
It’s time to start reevaluating this team because an eight-year playoff streak is great, sure, but a Stanley Cup championship will always be better and one has yet to come to fruition under Sweeney.
