Breaking down the Boston Bruins ahead of NHL Trade Deadline Day.
Deadline approach
The Boston Bruins will be: Buyers
Pending free agents
Unrestricted: 6 | Restricted: 12 | See full list
[teamleaders league=”nhl” team=”bos” season”2014″]
Bruins overview
Boston’s only real regular-season job was to stay ahead of the giant sludge pile in the Eastern Conference and the Bruins have accomplished that with points to spare. They should coast toward an Atlantic Division title and finish as no worse than second in the conference.
After losing in the Cup final last spring, Boston has successfully integrated some new key offensive components. Jarome Iginla has replaced Nathan Horton’s production on the top line, while Reilly Smith — acquired from the Dallas Stars in the trade that sent Tyler Seguin west — has been a second-line revelation. Loui Eriksson, also obtained from Dallas, has battled concussion issues, but could prove to be a valuable scorer down the stretch. Rookie Torey Krug has been an offensive sparkplug from the blueline, while Tuukka Rask continues to cement his standing as one of the league’s very best goalies.
One big development for Boston has been the performance of its power play, which after years of being mediocre or worse, is now one of the league’s top-10 units.
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| Click player positions to see depth chart | ||
Areas to address
Boston is balanced up front and fantastic in goal; the only soft spot is the blueline. Yes, the B’s can still rely on captain Zdeno Chara to eat up valuable minutes, but the big man seemed a step slower in last year’s final series against the Chicago Blackhawks and, with his 37th birthday on the horizon, it’s unfair to ask Chara to shoulder such an enormous load.
The B’s sustained a big blow when Dennis Seidenberg — Chara’s usual partner — was lost to a knee injury just before the New Year. He’s expected to miss the rest of the season, which is why GM Peter Chiarelli has to be sniffing around for a solid citizen who can log a tidy 18 minutes a night and not make any mistakes. With Krug being more an offence-minded defenceman and Dougie Hamilton still working through the typical ups-and-downs faced by young d-men, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Chiarelli add two blueliners, with the second guy designated more as a sixth or seventh man.
Possible trade targets
Andrew MacDonald (Traded to PHI)
Nick Schultz, Edmonton Oilers
Tom Gilbert, Florida Panthers
