The Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney are facing a vital off-season for several reasons. They need to quickly turn things around after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season in what is expected to be a retooling of some sort.
There are many off-season decisions ahead of the Black and Gold, from roster construction with additions and subtractions, as well as hiring their next head coach. It’s safe to say that Sweeney needs to get these decisions right for the future of his job. The first pivotal moment of the off-season happened on Monday night with the NHL Draft Lottery.
Finished tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for last place in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins entered Monday night’s draw with the fifth-best odds to land the top pick, with the Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks the teams ahead of them with better odds.
The Bruins get 7th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft
The NHL held the NHL Draft Lottery live, something they have never done before. It had always been drawn earlier in the day and put into an envelope, and revealed live on TV that night. Not this year. In the end, the Bruins will draft seventh overall next month in Los Angeles.
Stating that this draft is huge for the Black and Gold and their future is an understatement. Their primary goal should be to draft a center, and one that is not too far off from being ready for the NHL. There are some options that Sweeney and the scouting staff are going to have when it comes time to pick next month. The first domino on the 2025 off-season has dropped and now it’s on to the next for a franchise looking to get back into the postseason in 2025-26.