Boston Bruins: 10 Thoughts Ahead of a Busy Two Weeks

Now that the Tampa Bay Lightning has won their second straight Stanley Cup, all the attention in the NHL and Boston Bruins turns to the next two weeks.

With the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, NHL Entry Draft, and free agency beginning over the next 14 days, here are some Bruins’ thoughts as they head into a busy final two and a half weeks in the month of July.

• With Boston’s prospect pool nothing to write home about, one has to think with a first-round pick this season, general manager Don Sweeney needs to have a good draft. I know a lot of draft picks don’t make an immediate impact, but some depth would help with trades, possibly at the next trade deadline.

• Speaking of Sweeney, is this a make-or-break offseason as GM? With around $30 million in cap space, you’d have to think so.
• Count me as someone who agrees with Caylee Allard that the Bruins stay clear of  Vladimir Tarasenko. While there is a lot to like about a Taylor Hall-David Krejci-Tarasenko line, if the first two re-sign, the injury history is enough for me to say thanks, but no thanks.
• I must say, Blake Coleman or Barclay Goodrow would look wearing the Black and Gold. What an addition either one would be.
• Pat Maroon won his third consecutive Stanley Cup last week, his second with Tampa. That’s insane. His first was when the St. Louis Blues beat the Bruins in 2019 in seven games. That Game 7 loss is one that could haunt the Bruins for years to come.
• The more I think about it, the more I think that if the Black and Gold are going to find their top-four, left-shot defensemen that plays at least 20 minutes a night, it might have to come through trade rather than free agency.
• Good for Jay Leach getting a shot to be an assistant coach in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken. I’m a little surprised that the Bruins did not make more of an effort (maybe they did behind closed doors) to slide him up from Providence to the Boston next to Bruce Cassidy.
• Should the Bruins be worried about Brandon Carlo’s concussion history after this season long-term? I fully expect him to be back next season, but the concussion history has to be in the back of Sweeney’s mind down the line.
• If the NHL goes back to the same divisions before the pandemic, the Bruins are going to have their work cut out for them. Welcome back Tampa, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and the Florida Panthers just to name a few Atlantic Division foes back on the schedule.
• Is this the offseason that the Bruins do something that we don’t see coming in free agency or through a trade?

The next two weeks are going to key in constructing a championship roster for the 2021-22 season for Boston. It’s certainly going to fun watching what unfolds.