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5 moves the Bruins can make to get back to the playoffs

By Bruin Belisle

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup play-offs at TD Garden on April 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Maple Leafs 7-4. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup play-offs at TD Garden on April 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeat the Maple Leafs 7-4. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Bruins were a trendy Stanley Cup final pick before dropping to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs last year. Here are five ways they can get back to the playoffs (and improve upon their finish) next season.

The Boston Bruins are coming off of a great season that had a somewhat disappointing ending. Any Bruins fan will tell you that they believed in this team from day one, but the rest of the league learned just how dangerous they were after they dominated through the middle part of the season.

The Bruins aren’t going anywhere. The core of the team is returning, hockey’s top line will be back and the young upcoming talent will only be better with some playoff experience under their belts. Charlie McAvoy is looking like he could be a Norris Trophy contender before the age of 22 and Jake DeBrusk is going to be a goal-scoring machine.

Boston is in a great position that allows them to make minor adjustments and enjoy the same success as they had last season, hopefully with 11 more wins to close out the year in 2019. You’ll notice a theme in this post, outside of the Tavares talk, that too much tinkering could be a bad thing. The Bruins are basically set as is.

That being said, there are obviously ways this team can get better. The first way being perhaps the most obvious. Let’s hope this is still a valid point by the time you are reading this.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 18: John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders carries the puck around the net amid pressure from Sean Kuraly #52 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at Barclays Center on January 18, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 18: John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders carries the puck around the net amid pressure from Sean Kuraly #52 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at Barclays Center on January 18, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5. Sign John Tavares Michael Grabner a deadline piece if needed

The Bruins were a frontrunner in the John Tavares sweepstakes, and if the kid really cared about winning games, he probably would have signed in Boston (yes, shots fired). That being said, the Bruins could still land a decent complimentary forward in free agency or address any deficiency they may have during the season.

The B’s were somewhat aware that free agency started this past week when they signed Chris Wagner, Joakim Nordstrom and addressed defensive and goaltending needs by taking a chance on both John Moore and Jaroslav Halak. All of these guys will fit well into the roles they are tasked with in Boston.

Boston also resigned Sean Kuraly this week, which was one of the key young signings that most Bruins fans were hopeful for. The bottom six of the Bruins appears to be set and they will be grittier and more physical than they were last season.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they lost out on a couple decent players in Tim Schaller and Riley Nash (and potentially more to come).  If they choose to part ways with the rest of their free agent group, they could be looking to pick up a top six forward via trade.

Wayne Simmons has been one of the names linked to the Bruins and given that they are looking to add some toughness to the line up, his size, offensive abilities and skill set would be a great fit in Boston. The problem here is likely having to give up a key young asset(s) to get him.

Boston is in a nice position right now of being able to wait this out and address any potential needs at the deadline. Their younger players are developing and the team is likely a contender as-is. While the Rick Nash trade didn’t work out exactly as they would have hoped, something similar may be in the cards for the B’s this year. Which brings us to our next point.

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