Causeway Crowd
Fansided

Don Sweeney Needs To Make the Boston Bruins Great Again

By Paul Altmeyer

May 20, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Newly named Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney smiles before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Newly named Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney smiles before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

With the political convention season underway, we are often asked if we are better off now than we were four years ago. While the purpose here isn’t to propagate political discourse, that same question can be applied in a different form to Boston Bruins fans. Are the Bruins better now than they were four weeks ago?

More from Bruins News

Gone are forwards Loui Eriksson, Chris Kelly, Brett Connolly, and short timers Landon Ferraro and Lee Stempniak. Bought out was veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who played 401 games for the Bruins. Not coming back is much maligned blue liner Matt Irwin, who played two games for the Bruins last year and was a -5. Also not returning on the defense is Zach Trotman.

In goal, the old back-up is the new back-up.  Returning is Anton Khudobin, who in parts of two seasons in Boston (2011-13) went 10-4-1 with a 2.22 goals against average. Gone is Jonas Gustavsson, who went 11-9-1 last year with a 2.72 GAA.

More from Causeway Crowd

The biggest addition the Bruins made was when they signed free agent center David Backes to a five year, $30,000,000 deal. He is 32 years old and has averaged almost 25 goals a year in the past three seasons. In his ten years in the National Hockey League, all spent with the St. Louis Blues, he has scored 206 goals and 254 assists in 727 games.  He was also a +65.  His size (6’3″, 221 lbs) and tough style of play should make him an instant hit with the Black and Gold fandom.

Also signed was free agent center Riley Nash, who in parts of five years with the Carolina Hurricanes has scored 31 goals and 50 assists in 242 games. Where he fits in will be determined, but third line center may be where the former first round pick (Edmonton, 2007) ends up.

The biggest question with Backes is where to use him. The Bruins number one center is Patrice Bergeron. The number two center is David Krejci.  There is little sense having Backes center the third line, so he’ll most likely end up on the right side on one of the top two lines.

There has been much speculation on social media that Krejci is suddenly expendable with the addition of Backes to the roster, and that a top four defenseman would be the return. There were also heavy rumors that Kevin Shattenkirk of the St. Louis Blues was going to be acquired, but those were nothing more than rumors.

Another player who was tied to nothing more than rumors is defenseman Jacob Trouba.  The Winnipeg Jets defenseman, who is a restricted free agent,  was allegedly going to receive an offer sheet from the Bruins, but that has yet to happen. While the cat would have been steep (four first-round draft picks) Trouba is a 22-year-old  with size, offensive skill,  and logs a lot of ice time.  He is also a right hand shot, which is what the Bruins need most on the blue line.

So again, are the Bruins better off now than they were four weeks ago? The offense appears to have been upgraded. The goaltending situation is stable.  It is the defense, though, that still is in need of an upgrade. That is where Don Sweeney needs to make an improvement so that Bruins fans can indeed feel confident that the team that takes to the ice in November will be better than what they last saw.

Next: Can Sweeney Make Bruins Great Again?

Can they be great again, as they were in 2011, when they were the greatest team in the league?  Or even in 2013, when they were perhaps the second best team? There is still a lot of work to be done to get to those levels.

Home/Bruins News