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Boston Bruins: NHL made the right call with the 2020-21 regular season

By Scott Roche |
SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 1: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 1, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAINT PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 1: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on February 1, 2019 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)

The NHL made the right call on the 2021 regular season.

In less than one week on Jan. 3, the Boston Bruins will begin training camp at Warrior Ice Arena in preparation for the new-look 2020-21 NHL regular season. This season will look like and be like any other that the league has seen, but considering where we are amid the coronavirus pandemic, the league has made the right call on how to handle the upcoming season.

Some of the changes made for this season are the right decisions. The first one is the 56-game regular season, which is better than 48, which was also being considered.

The second change for the season is the newly realigned divisions. This was a no-brainer, especially with the travel restrictions at the U.S./Canadian border. With the new divisions, gone are the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs. This will be the first time that Habs are not on the Bruins regular-season schedule.

Also missing from the schedule will be the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, and Florida Panthers. Call me crazy, but the Bruins/Lightning battles the last two seasons have been must-see TV. It will be strange not seeing the two teams fight for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

The four new divisions for 2021 brings new matchups that are going to make the short season a fun one. In the East Division, the Bruins will be part of a nine-team grouping that has Stanley Cup aspirations.

light. Related Story. Bruins: Getting to know the new divisional foes

Of the nine teams, only the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres were not part of the NHL’s Return to Play last summer in the Toronto playoff bubble. This year’s playoffs will have the top four teams in each division make the postseason and play two inter-divisional series to see who advances to the semifinals against the other division survivors.

Even though the Bruins are favorites to win the East Division, it won’t be easy. Just making the playoffs and finishing in the top four should be priority No. 1.

light. Related Story. Bruins are favorites to win the East Division in 2020-21

The third change for this season is the taxi squad that will travel with each team.  Having this squad will be critical for each team. With no bubble, there are bound to be players that test positive and immediately affect a team’s roster. Having players with teams available to slide into a game at any moment is a smart move.

The NHL season is scheduled to begin on Jan. 13 and the Bruins drop the puck one night later at New Jersey. The 115-day sprint to the playoffs should be a fun one with new divisions and each team playing their divisional opponents eight times. There are bound to be new rivalries, which is always a good thing.

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