Jun 11, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins head coach Peter Chiarelli is interviewed during media day in preparation for game one of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
For the Boston Bruins, the West Coast road trip they are currently on has been one of the if not the most frustrating stretch of hockey fans have seen this season. It’s the Bruins first three game losing stretch since Oct 9-13 and has seen the team come up short in various ways. Although the first two games of the road trip ended up with L’s in the column, the Bruins were active in getting shots on net, which has been difficult for a team that prior to last night’s four goal performance had only 16 goals in 10 games.
The Bruins anemic offense has been a point of contention it seems ever since they dropped a 6-1 tilt to the Maple Leafs on November 12th. With trade rumors gathering heat over the last few weeks, the Bruins seem poised and desperate to make a move to bolster this team. With the majority of trade talks being focused around upgrading at wing, the team seems to think this is the area on the roster in most need of an upgrade.
Then the Bruins come out after having a night off and put forth one of their worst defensive performances of the season. Whether it was Dougie Hamilton absolutely getting dominated by Joe Pavelski on a third period goal or the B’s inability to come out with a sense of urgency at the beginning of the second period, the Bruins weaknesses are becoming more and more magnified on a nightly basis.
Now that we have passed Thanksgiving, the premium placed on points goes up even further and the B’s inconsistencies in all three facets of the game is resulting in a slide down the Eastern Conference standings. It might not be long before they are on the outside looking in; a position unfamiliar to them over the last several years.
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Peter Chiarelli has been running rampant around the country this week scouting teams with the hopes of adding a scorer to assist with the Bruins scoring woes. Players like T.J. Oshie, Jordan Eberle, and Patrick Sharp have been rumored to be players Chiarelli might be looking at, however the cost of completing a deal for any of these players could result in a seismic shift in terms of the appearance of this roster by the end of the regular season.
To be fair, this is the highest level of adversity the Bruins have faced in recent memory, but it is times like these where the door opens for others to step up and make an impact and it simply just hasn’t happened. Several Bruins players are on pace to have below average seasons, while team statistics(23rd in offense) are sinking as we speak.
The asking price from some teams such as the Edmonton Oilers is for Milan Lucic or Torey Krug and while I do not believe the Bruins will ultimately move players of that caliber unless it is the perfect move, the fact that these players could potentially be considered in a move indicates the level of desperation demonstrated by the Bruins. However, my issues are that this is a situation that could be avoided before this season even started, but that’s a conversation for a different day.