Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, and Charlie Jacobs were quite clear at their end-of-season press conference that this mini-rebuild would be short, with the Boston Bruins planning to be serious contenders next season. It seemed like a perfect opportunity for the Bruins to either trade their seventh overall draft pick for immediate help or draft a player who is closer to debuting in the NHL.
Instead, the Bruins picked James Hagens, who struggled at times in his freshman season at Boston College and undoubtedly needs another year or two in the NCAA. Next, the Bruins chose William Moore, who is still a year away from enrolling at Boston College, and will likely make his NHL debut 4-5 years from now.
The projects didn't end there for the Bruins, as they also chose Liam Pettersson, Cooper Simpson, and Vashek Blanar. Pettersson is the clearest project of them all, as he is a massive defenseman who Boston will have to wait for to mature physically and see how things work out.
Simpson played high school hockey and in the USHL last season, and still has some college years ahead of him, while Blanar is an unknown prospect for most people and someone the Bruins hope will play in a more challenging league next season to see his true value.
Couple all of these picks with their first-round draft pick from last year in Dean Letourneau, and there are many projects in the Bruins' pipeline. It's an interesting position to be in, as no one knows how well this group of prospects will fare for Boston. They could be setting themselves up to be serious contenders down the line, or they could be on a path to many disappointing years.
The top half of the draft for the Bruins was a success, but it leaves us with plenty of questions. Are the Bruins actually going to try to contend next season? Are they looking at another year of mediocrity to add to their prospect pool one more time? It would've been nice if Sweeney and co. had left us with a bit more clarity as we enter free agency, but we'll likely find out where they stand very soon.