Boston Bruins President Cam Neely still has faith in the Black and Gold. He’s seen many members of this current squad pull together to win a Stanley Cup, and he still believes the Bruins can be a Cup contender in its incarnation. He just thinks the Bruins could be better than they are right now. “I believe our team is better than we’re playing, our current team,” said Neely yesterday. “Obviously with David out, that hurts. But if we have an opportunity to do something, and I know it’s a broken record and I’ve said it every time we’ve talked this year. If there’s an opportunity to improve our club, we’re still going to do it. Regardless of who’s in or out of the lineup, we still want to try to improve our club.”
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The Bruins are still looking to find that missing element for their team as the trade deadline rapidly approaches. The Bruins are in need of a top-four defenseman. A need that was exacerbated by the loss of Kevan Miller to a season-ending injury against the Calgary Flames last week. The Bruins could also be looking to find that elusive top-six right wing that they have failed to find for the Krejci line this season. (It certainly doesn’t help that the B’s have lost David Krejci for four to six weeks (and possibly the rest of the regular season).)
David Krejci could be put on long-term injured reserve to help the Bruins find the right match. The extra cap space could be enough to find a bigger name player who would be willing to take a chance on coming to Boston and help the team have a deep playoff run this season. Activating the LTIR option would be sort of a desperation move, but at the rate the B’s are going, it might not be the worst idea they’ve had this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks placed Patrick Kane on LTIR earlier today, and that will certainly give the Hawks more money to find the right rental player for them.
At this point, the Bruins may be looking for other parts as well. The reluctance to play any one but Tuukka Rask could signify the Bruins are looking to rent a back-up goaltender. The odds of that happening are limited, but it is possible. The B’s could also be looking for a speedy winger as a rental to spark the Merlot Line. This also seems unlikely, but it could be a factor if the Bruins can’t find the cap space or the right trade to take care of their two biggest problems.
No matter what happens with the organization, the Bruins have to rely on their coaching staff to make it all work. It will be their job to incorporate the new players into the roster quickly and effectively.
I’m going to say the same thing I say every year because I like to think I’m consistent. You give me what you got and I will try and make the most out of it and get the most out of those players,” said Bruins bench boss Claude Julien yesterday. “That’s what I try to do every day even if it doesn’t happen, I got to try to work with players to get the most out of them. That’s where I take my pride from coaching, not so much about what I have and what I don’t have.
“I got to try to get the most out of this team. The situation that we’re in right now, if I can get a lot out of these guys and get ourselves on the right track, I’m going to keep my mouth shut and work hard right until the end.”
At the moment, the Bruins seem to be in neutral when it comes to finding some short-term talent. They’ll need to kick it in gear if they want to make a push for the playoffs.