With each passing day, it’s becoming more and more clear the NHL season starting after the first of the year benefits the Bruins more than any other team.
As the calendar turns to December, we are still waiting for word on what a 2020-21 NHL season would look like. It has long been mentioned that NHL would target Jan. 1 as a start day, but with each day that passes in December, that seems more and more unlikely.
There are questions surrounding what the divisions would look like, with an all Canadian Division looking like a real possibility with the travel restrictions at the US/Canada border because of the coronavirus. The NHL would like to limit travel around the United States and keeps teams regional, much like Major League Baseball did over the summer.
If there is one team that could use a late January or early February start, it’s the Boston Bruins. With the news in mid-October that first-line left wing Brad Marchand could be out until mid-January following a sports hernia surgery and right wing David Pastrnak would be out longer until mid-February after a hip surgery.
Replacing your top scorers from last season would not be easy. The Bruins have players they could slot into those positions next to Patrice Bergeron, but the production most likely would see a drop-off.
Recently, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski tweeted out possible divisional alignments. The Bruins were slotted in the East with the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Washington Capitals.
That is a mixed bag of news for the Black and Gold. The Bruins have had success against the Sabres, Devils, and Hurricanes, while the Rangers and Islanders are up and coming teams. The Flyers had a good season last year and the Capitals have been a thorn in the Bruins’ side in recent years.
Regardless of when the announcement comes from the NHL on what next season looks like, one thing is for sure, the later the season starts, the better it is for the Boston Bruins.