Four Bruins’ thoughts while waiting for the announcement about the 2020-21 season.
As we wait for word on what a 2021 NHL season looks like, here are some random thoughts about the Boston Bruins heading toward another season of hockey.
1. Bruins might be the winners the longer it takes to come to an agreement on the season.
The NHL and NHLPA are still discussing what the 2021 season will look like. Once they finally do come to an agreement and things become official, then the wheels can be put into motion on the regular-season.
With that said, an original Jan. 1 start date is out of the questions and Jan. 13 is starting to look like it might not be met. If not, no one in the Bruins organization would be complaining. With Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak recovering from injuries, the later the start date, the better.
Marchand is targeted for a mid-January return date, and Pastrnak a mid-February return date. The Bruins would be able to survive missing one, most likely Pasta with the longer recovery period, as their depth on the right wing is deeper right now than the left side. Don’t get me wrong, missing your leading goal-scorer and point producer from a year ago is not ideal, but having Marchy back and healthy to begin the season would be good news.
2. The shorter the season, the better for the Bruins.
The league is targeting a 56-game schedule for 2021. That would benefit the Bruins as much as it does any other team.
With a core that is entering their mid-30’s, the fewer the amount of regular-season games, the fresher they can be for another deep playoff run. Of course, injuries can always come into play and the Bruins are not blessed with a lot of depth in different positions, but the least amount of games, the better for the Black and Gold.
If the league needs to push the start of the season back to February, then a 48-game schedule would even be better for the Bruins.
3. Sign another forward if Chara retires with the remaining cap space.
It’s clear that general manager Don Sweeney is holding onto the Bruins remaining $2.9 million cap space, according to capfriendly.com, waiting for a final decision from captain Zdeno Chara as to whether or not he returns for a 15th season in Boston.
If Chara decides not to return, Sweeney should look at adding a forward. A roster move or two would have to be made to free up more cap space to bring a Mike Hoffman or someone else, but forward depth is always welcomed, especially on a team that has historically struggled with secondary scoring.
As stated above, the Bruins have better depth on the right wing than the left. Hoffman would be the perfect fit for left wing depth for the Bruins, but again, moves would have to be made to free up enough cap space to add him or anyone else, but you figure that the money would be spent somewhere.
4. Could we see Jumbo Joe this season after all?
With the seven Canadian teams being informed Thursday that they may be forced to play their games in the United States because of COVID-19, could we get to see Joe Thornton play against the Bruins as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs after all?
All seven Canadian teams were informed of this possibility of playing in the United States during a conference call today with the league #Sens #Jets #Oilers #Flames #Canucks #Leafs #Habs
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) December 17, 2020
The Bruins’ former first overall pick in 1997 signed North of the Border with the hopes of making one last run at winning the Stanley Cup with a contender after 15 seasons in San Jose with the Sharks. He was traded in 2005 from Boston.
If the Canadian teams are forced to play in the U.S. in 2021, here is hoping that the league either goes back to their original divisional alignments or there are new divisional alignments that allow the Bruins to play the Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. Where the league will have the Canadian teams play their games is another topic, but the thought of Joe Thornton playing in the TD Garden as a member of the Leafs is an intriguing thought.