Boston Bruins: No need to worry about the lack of trades so far

The Boston Bruins may not have dipped into the trade market yet, but we shouldn’t be overly worried about it.

It’s great to have names like Tyler Toffoli, Brenden Dillon and Chris Kreider listed as potential trades but realistically this Boston Bruins side, with almost an identical line-up to last year can go just as far as they did then.

You only need look at the way previous Stanley Cup champions have tinkered with their roster at the deadline to realise that going big doesn’t always make a difference. The Columbus Blue Jackets last season are proof of that; they hedged their bets, went all-in and were unceremoniously dumped out second round.

The St. Louis Blues, on the other hand, trusted their roster and only added Michael Del Zotto on the blue-line. A simple, stay-at-home type addition to the line-up who was enough to push them over the line.

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Michal Kempny was the only name the Washington Capitals chose to go for in they Stanley Cup winning year. Again, a simple and small deal in the grand scheme of the trade deadline but the sorts of deals that prove the difference-maker.

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins have mastered the art of adding a little but not too much. Jason Zucker this season and Phil Kessel a few years back are the exception to the rule. Their last Cup, the additions at deadline were Mark Streit and Ron Hainsey; not exactly big names, but difference-makers when it mattered most.

What you can get from this is that the Boston Bruins don’t need to swing for the bases and go for Ilya Kovalchuk, Tomas Tatar, Joe Thornton, Chris Kreider and every other name they’re linked with.

Last time around, we made Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final; who were the additions then?

It was a couple of simple deals to bring Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson across to Boston. They proved undeniable difference-makers in that play-off run.

The Boston Bruins don’t need to bring in guys that will require massive roster reshuffling to fit in; they just need a smart addition on the second line right-wing and maybe a little extra depth on the third or fourth line.

Don Sweeney may be playing a smarter game than any of us actually give him credit for; he’s not mortgaging the future because he trusts this Boston Bruins side.

They got us to within a whisker of the Stanley Cup last year, so why can’t that happen again this year? The roster could surely use a boost but it doesn’t need to be a big name; a sneaky depth addition might be all we need.

Let’s not get too hasty in worrying about the Boston Bruins; they’ll pull off a deal this trade deadline eventually and you have to trust that they’ll make all the difference.