Internal improvement is best way for Bruins to turn season around originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins aren’t as bad as their recent struggles might make it seem. But if the team is going to turn its season around and become a real contender in the Eastern Conference, the improvement needs to come from within.
In past seasons, the Bruins have filled gaps in the roster by making moves before the NHL trade deadline. Don Sweeney has been one of the most active general managers when it comes to adding players during the season. Over his first nine years as GM, Sweeney made more than 15 pre-deadline trades, and many of those players were helpful additions.
However, making a significant move might be harder this year. The Bruins are almost at the salary cap, with only $1.23 million of room, according to PuckPedia. This makes it tough for the team to take on additional salary in a trade without sending back an equal amount. In fact, 21 out of 32 teams have less than $5 million in cap space right now.
The Bruins also lack many high-value trade assets. Boston’s prospect pool is considered one of the weakest in the league, and many veterans on the team aren’t performing as well as expected, which hurts their trade value.
Even if Sweeney wanted to make a big trade, it could be tough because so few teams are clearly out of playoff contention. The Buffalo Sabres are the only team in the Eastern Conference more than five points out of a playoff spot. In the Western Conference, only four teams are more than seven points out of a playoff berth.
With so few sellers in the market, making trades is difficult. Because of these factors, it’s up to the Bruins to solve their problems themselves.
“It’s on us internally,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters after last Friday’s practice. “It’s on us here. There’s no question. It’s on the staff. It’s on the players to make sure that we get ourselves out of this. We’re not looking for any help right now, any outside help. There’s a standard here that we try to uphold. We try to keep it up to a high level.
Our players have to hold themselves accountable, just like we all do. The solutions, the answers, they’re right here. We need to get it out of them.”
The best players need to perform at their best. It might sound like a cliché, but that’s the easiest way to succeed. So far this season, many of the Bruins’ top players have underperformed.
David Pastrnak leads the team in scoring with 45 points in 45 games, but he hasn’t been playing at the MVP level we’ve seen in past seasons. Charlie McAvoy is good enough to be a real Norris Trophy contender every year, but Boston’s top defenseman isn’t in that conversation right now. Jeremy Swayman is the fifth-highest-paid goalie in the league, but he has a disappointing .895 save percentage in 32 starts.
When you look at the whole roster, it’s hard to find many players who are meeting or exceeding expectations.
Saturday’s win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers was a positive sign for the Bruins. The 4-3 overtime victory ended their six-game losing streak. More importantly, the Bruins’ best players — specifically Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Swayman — were key to the win.
Pastrnak scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime off a lucky deflection. He led the team with six shot attempts, four shots on net, and four scoring chances. His speed and skill helped the Bruins secure the win.
Swayman had his best game of the season. He made 40 saves on 43 shots for a .930 save percentage. The Panthers had a remarkable 111 shot attempts. Swayman was under constant pressure for nearly 65 minutes, and without his outstanding performance, the score would have been much worse for the Bruins.
McAvoy got an assist, recorded two shots, five hits, and blocked four shots in 21:54 of ice time.
However, the Bruins can’t just depend on these three players to turn the season around. It has to be a team effort.
Elias Lindholm, who was the team’s big free-agent signing last summer, is being paid top-six center money ($7.75 million cap hit), but he has been playing like a third-line center, with only 21 points in 45 games.
Charlie Coyle set career highs with 25 goals and 60 points last season, but he’s on pace for just 14 goals and 25 points this season. Pavel Zacha is on track for 38 points after setting a career-high 59 last year. Trent Frederic’s scoring has dropped after he set career highs in points the last two years.
Morgan Geekie had a tough start to the season and was even a healthy scratch at one point. But to his credit, he has been one of the team’s best players recently, with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the last 14 games, including a goal in Saturday’s win in Florida.
The Bruins are 28th in shooting percentage (9.32) but eighth in expected goals scored (135.96). This means they’ve been unlucky offensively. While bad luck isn’t the only problem, it certainly hasn’t helped.
But it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bruins start scoring more, especially on the power play. There is too much talent on this roster for them to stay ranked 28th in goals scored per game and 30th in power-play percentage for the entire season.
The Bruins are not guaranteed a playoff spot. As of Monday morning, they are in the first wild card spot, but they rank 11th in the East based on points percentage.
The good news is that 37 games remain, so there’s still plenty of time to turn things around and improve their playoff position. If the Bruins do make the playoffs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they won a round, especially if they end up in the Metropolitan Division side of the bracket. Swayman has the ability to steal a playoff series, as shown in past games against teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sweeney might be able to make a trade to add depth for the playoff race, but the best way for the Bruins to get back on track is for the players already on the roster to perform to the level expected of them consistently.
