2016 NHL offseason outlook: Boston Bruins

Offseason Questions

Can general manager Don Sweeney improve his track record after a very rough first year? Sweeney had a terrible first year as Boston’s general manager. The Martin Jones trade and the Milan Lucic trade were both great. However, he also gave up a third round pick for Zac Rinaldo and failed to trade Loui Eriksson at the trade deadline when Eriksson could have netted him a good young defenseman, something that the Bruins desperately need. Sweeney needs to rebound both to keep his job and for his team to win in the future.

Will Jimmy Vesey sign with the Bruins? Vesey would be more of a “want” than a “need”, but he would be an excellent replacement for Eriksson. They have similar playing styles, as both are skilled forwards who also love to crash the net and hang out around the crease for deflections. Vesey is a bit better suited to deflections than Eriksson. He could give center David Krejci an excellent wing on the second forward line or he could give Bergeron and Marchand one heck of a skilled wing to play with. That’s something the dynamic duo haven’t always had.

What’s up with Tuukka Rask? Was the 2015-16 season an anomaly? Or is it a sign of what is to come? Regardless, the Bruins need to improve their defense drastically to take pressure off of Rask. Rask has a good enough resume to expect him to rebound in 2016-17. But the blue line has to be better.