The Boston Bruins' competitive window squeezed a little bit tighter over the past week, after the Ottawa Senators strengthened another division rival in the Florida Panthers with the Brady Tkachuk trade. With the Senators now looking to bolster their roster with the picks they acquired in the deal, the numbers game of the Atlantic Division isn't in Boston's favor.
We saw how much better the Buffalo Sabres were in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning aren't going anywhere. The Toronto Maple Leafs are making some moves that could have them heading toward a resurgence, while the Panthers figure to be much better this season with the second Tkachuk and a healthier roster.
In those tallies alone, that leaves five teams who could all be better than the Bruins next season on paper, without even counting the Ottawa Senators. Being better on paper in the preseason doesn't always mean a ton, as we saw this past season with the Bruins' surprising 100-point campaign, but the chances of them pulling that off for a second-straight season do feel slimmer.
In that case, it might be time for Don Sweeney and the Bruins to start looking toward the future a bit more. Does that mean trading Pavel Zacha before the draft in hopes of landing another first-round pick, or just taking a home run swing at No. 23 overall and hoping a future Zacha deal can land them some young pieces? Nevertheless, Sweeney needs to hit on this first-rounder to continue building toward the future.
Adam Novotny
It usually takes players who spent their entire careers in Europe a bit of time to adapt to the North American game. With Adam Novotny joining the Peterborough Petes for his draft year, it could have caused him some hiccups as he got more comfortable. That wasn't the case, as he recorded 34 goals and 31 assists in just 58 games, showing some high offensive upside with an underrated two-way game.
A two-way draft prospect is always someone that the Bruins keep their eyes on, but a two-way player who averaged over a point-per-game in his first North American season has to be someone that the scouting staff values highly, given the organization's needs.
With a season of professional experience already under his belt in Czechia and a natural mentor in his countryman, David Pastrnak, Novotny feels like a player who could make a quicker impact on the organization than most players in this range.
Mathis Preston
The Bruins can't be afraid to take a swing with the 23rd overall pick, and if Novotny is already off the table, Mathis Preston would be that swing. Preston looked like he would be a top-10 pick after a standout Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, but some injuries during the WHL season and a couple of cold streaks limited his offensive output and made him slip down draft boards.
Preston is known as a prospect that elevates his game when needed, and his overall speed and skill would be another exciting piece in a lineup that Bruins fans know can be severely lacking it. It might take some time for Preston to be ready for the pros, but the potential to add a top-10 talent down the line at 23rd overall would be something to look forward to when joining the likes of James Hagens and Dean Letourneau.
Liam Ruck
The Ruck twins are likely to end up in the same NHL organization, as many dream of them being the Canadian version of the Sedin twins. The Calgary Flames, with all of their picks in the late-first/early-second range, seem like the best fit, but if the Bruins could find a way to trade up with their second pick, Liam might be the pick at No. 23 to set the stage for taking both.
Liam Ruck, by all accounts, is the twin that organizations are valuing more. It'd be an interesting experiment to see if he was taken off the board early by the Bruins, would that stop other teams from taking the brother? Markus has the potential to slide down the board, and without the prospect of them playing together, it might leave him sliding all the way to Boston in the second round if they can't trade up with their pick.
The one problem I'd see with this pick is that the twins plan to play one more season in Medicine Hat before attending the University of North Dakota. The Bruins may not be ready to contend next year with their crop of young players and a competitive Atlantic Division, but waiting too long for their picks to develop could keep them outside of the competitive window with their current core.
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