This has been a disappointing season for the Boston Bruins. At the start of the year, most NHL observers believed they would have a spot in the top three of the Atlantic Division, something they have maintained for years. There was an outside chance they could fall to a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but certainly no further.
This has not been the usual season for the Bruins. With about one-third of the season remaining, the Bruins are on the outside of the playoffs, and their recent games before the two-week break for the Four Nations Face-Off were quite discouraging. The Bruins took one-goal leads into the third periods of games against the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights and ended up losing both games in regulation.
In the loss to the Rangers, there was little pushback when the game was on the line. The loss to the Golden Knights had the Bruins’ attention throughout, but they could not match their opponents’ skill or will at the most crucial moments.
As a result of their play this season, many observers and fans believe the Bruins should be in the “sell” mode by the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline. From a logical point of view, trading off some of the most notable assets makes some degree of sense. Captain Brad Marchand’s name has been mentioned quite a bit, while goalie Jeremy Swayman has an incredible amount of value.
Swayman signed an eight-year, $66 million contract just before the start of the season. Swayman has a no-movement clause in his deal that kicks in at the start of Year 3, which is the 2026-27 season. Moving a highly respected goaltender who is at the start of a long-term contract would surely bring a huge return if the Bruins were looking to rebuild.
Bruins have an incredible record of earning postseason opportunities
It’s easy to look back at recent history and see that the Bruins have been a playoff team since the 2016-17 season, making the postseason each of the last eight years. No NHL team has exceeded that current mark.
But that’s just short-term success. The Bruins have almost always made the playoffs over the last 56 seasons. The Bruins made the playoffs in 1967-68- Bobby Orr’s second year with the Original 6 franchise. They would make the playoffs an NHL record 29 consecutive seasons, and they would not miss until 1996-97. Overall, they have missed the postseason just seven times since Orr’s second year.
The Bruins also don’t go into long droughts. They have not missed the postseason more than twice in a row.
So, does general manager Don Sweeney turn his back on the team’s proud history and start selling off assets like Marchand, Swayman, and others, or does he let his team fight for a playoff spot despite what the current odds say?
Sweeney will let his team push hard for a postseason spot
When the deadline gets even closer, the pressure will be on Sweeney and team president Cam Neely to make a decision. The team’s history of success will play a key role in the executives’ thought process. Both men were key Bruins performers before they became buttoned-down decision-makers. When they finally have to make a decision, the belief here is that they will let the current team fight to make the playoffs for a ninth consecutive year.
They may not add to the mix and sacrifice draft choices as they have done in the past, but they will not let the team accept any non-playoff fate and will simply look to the future.
Even if they ever decided to sell certain assets, it would not be Swayman. He has too many years left on his contract after proving he was one of the best goaltenders in the league.
Teams simply don’t let excellent goaltenders out of their grasp when they would have 7-plus years to go on their contracts. The Bruins don’t go through long slumps. Even if they were to fail to make the playoffs, they would not be out of the mix very long. History says it wouldn’t be more than two years without a playoff opportunity.
That could change if they decided to part company with an excellent goaltender like Swayman. He has many great years in front of him, and they should all be for the Bruins.
