After taking some convincing, a lot, if not most, Boston Bruins fans are on the tank train as it comes speeding down the tracks toward the end of the 2024-25 season. The team is stuck in an eight-game losing streak heading into Tuesday night’s game at the TD Garden against the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals, a ninth loss in a row is not out of the question.
At this point in the season, would that be a bad thing? The losing streak has allowed the Black and Gold to have a realistic shot at sneaking into the Top 5 for this summer’s Entry Draft. At the time this article is being written, the Bruins are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers with 69 points and just one point up on the Buffalo Sabres for last place in the conference.
The Bruins are trending to a much-needed Top 5 draft pick
They’re not quite there yet, but they’re getting close to a Top 5 draft pick. On the Western Conference side, the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and Seattle Kraken are behind them in points, but the Anaheim Ducks have passed them, which is good. It has been a while since Boston has been in this position, as they are usually looking at the standings for playoff positioning rather than draft positioning.
The closing eight games are not easy for the Black and Gold, with a handful of playoff teams fighting for postseason positioning and some teams where head-to-head results will affect the potential draft lottery. Again, take into consideration that Don Sweeney will be making the pick, and his draft history is not something that would excite a lot of people.
The prospect cupboard is close to being bare for the Black and Gold, and this would be an opportunity to add a good one to it. Could they add one that makes an immediate impact? Who knows, but the more losses that pile up over the final eight games, the better for Boston in 2024-25.