The Boston Bruins' 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night had a better result than the actual on-ice product. With both David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy facing injury absences, this group doesn't look like a team capable of winning many games. They have an admirable never-say-die attitude, but the team doesn't have the horses to get it done.
Pastrnak and McAvoy were out of the lineup, leaving Mason Lohrei as the only skater in the Bruins' lineup who Don Sweeney drafted during his tenure. The fact that the Bruins have so many drafted prospects playing in Providence who can't get a recall, and that 17 of 18 players in their NHL lineup were identified by other teams in the drafting process, is another blow to Sweeney's drafting resume.
Lohrei is the only player in the lineup drafted by Boston? That can’t be right
— Mr. Tenkrat (@PeterTenkrat) December 3, 2025
Compare that to the team that beat them last night, which Steve Yzerman has taken over and grown into one of the most homegrown rosters in the entire NHL. Yzerman and his scouting staff identify diamonds in the rough every year and develop them into stars. Moritz Seider was seen as a massive reach in his draft year, and as the first pick of Yzerman's tenure, it was a risk, but it was the pick that started a drafting landslide.
Eyepopping Bruins fact highlights Don Sweeney's drafting woes
It isn't just Yzerman's drafting prowess that is making the Red Wings into a contending team. The former engineer of Tampa Bay's success now has the blueprint to create Stanley Cup teams, and he didn't change that when he joined an Original Six team in Detroit. Yzerman's plan preaches patience, growth, and development, which can be scary in a market that demands success.
That has been the problem for Sweeney and Cam Neely. They are afraid of too many years of unsustained success, which means they'll never be able to grow their teams through the draft. It seemed like they were going in that direction this season, but they couldn't resist an attempt to contend.
Because of the injuries piling up, the Bruins might find themselves in a good drafting position. If Sweeney and the front office have another good outing in the 2026 draft like they had this past year, it'll be a great step in the right direction. However, the cupboards are so bare that it'll be a long time before the roster ever resembles that of the Red Wings.