The Bruins put up a fight with the Carolina Hurricanes, dealt with injuries and COVID issues but fell short in the end, dropping game seven by the score of 3-2. Carolina got off to a rather demanding start, beating the Bruins by a combined score of 10-2 in the first two games. However, the Bruins clawed their way back into the series with a pair of wins on home ice before splitting the next two to go to game seven. This was a somewhat rare kind of series where the home team won all seven games. Five also seemed to be the lucky number in this series as five games had the winning team put up five goals, with five total goals coming in game seven.
While Boston had spurts and games where they looked like the playoff type of team they can be, they didn’t have that energy consistently enough and the Hurricanes capitalized on it in game seven. Home ice clearly played a huge role in the series but you have to wonder if that would really change much of anything. With the Hurricanes being as strong as they are and the Bruins being toward the end of their window, Carolina was without a doubt the favorite to advance. You have to give credit to Boston for giving them a run for their money, especially when McAvoy became unavailable for a game in the middle of the series.
The biggest question now regarding the Bruins also becomes one of the biggest questions around the league this off season and that’s Patrice Bergeron. Was this his last hoorah with the Bruins? Bergeron has been their captain since Chara left the team but has been a leader for this franchise his entire career. He’s up for the Selke Trophy again this season as he has been in the discussion for it year after year as one of the best defensive centermen to play the game. The Bruins took a big enough hit when David Krejci decided to go play back in the Czech Republic, if Bergeron decides to move on from Boston, the effect can be detrimental to this organization.
A couple interesting notes to consider with Bergeron’s future. Prior to taking the job as General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes was an agent for several players around the National Hockey League. One of his biggest clients? Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron also hails from L'Ancienne-Lorette, a city in Quebec just a hop and a skip away from another major city known as Monreal, home to a fellow original-six hockey club known as the Canadiens. The Canadiens could use another center, and I’m sure Kent Hughes would love to bring one of his biggest clients over to the franchise he’s taking over. Does Bergeron have interest in playing in Canada? Would he ever consider playing for a team that isn’t the Bruins let alone their biggest rival? It would be one of the most groundbreaking signings in free agent history and the media would have a field day with the traitor type narratives.
On the brightside, aside from Patrice Bergeron, the Boston Bruins really don’t have many free agents to worry about. Curtis Lazar and Josh Brown, a player I had no idea even got moved to the Bruins to be honest, are the only ones on the verge of becoming unrestricted free agents. Both of them are mainly depth players that the team will be fine without. Lazar kind of came into his own in Boston despite it being a role he wasn’t really drafted to play. A former seventeenth overall round pick, Lazar has really struggled to find his footing in the NHL. It’s probably in his best interest if Boston keeps him around considering they are the fourth team he’s played on in his eight years around the league. He could find a new home as a fourth liner, but after moving around as much as he has this early in his career, it’s probably in his best interest to bank on sticking with the team he’s found some consistency with.
Without any additions and assuming Bergeron isn’t done yet, the Bruins are running a very similar team back next season:
Marchand - Bergeron - DeBrusk
Hall - Haula - Pastrnak
Frederic - Coyle - Smith
Foligno - Nosek - Wagner
Lindholm - McAvoy
Grzelyck - Carlo
Forbort - Clifton
With minimal changes, the Bruins are the same team just another year older. They were a fringe playoff team for most of the season but had a strong run from late February to early March that kept them above the wildcard spot, competing with Tampa for third in the Atlantic. Nevertheless, they landed the top wildcard spot and as a result, had to deal with the Hurricanes in round one which sent them packing. If Bergeron does decide this is it for him, whether that’s to retire or try his luck with a different team, the Bruins are going to be in a world of trouble. I’m a big Erik Haula guy, always have been but he’s not a number one center. If you’re Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins, you have to consider all your options if Bergeron moves on and that could include doing a deep evaluation of all your assets. Making decisions on who is going to be here for the long haul versus who is better off getting dealt to bring in pieces for the future is going to make or break how the future in Boston shapes out. They have the pieces to build around, they just have to decide if they’re ready to move in that direction or keep trying to go for it one last time.
Chris Feldman
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