If the Boston Bruins capitalize on the power-play they were gift-wrapped when Jason Chimera got whistled for 'holding' Boston's Johnny Boychuk with 2:26 to play in the third period of Game 7, the Bruins advance on to the second round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs. If Patrice Bergeron can extend his stick out just a bit further in the opening minutes of overtime, the Bruins advance on to the second round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs. And from the second round on, anything could've been possible for Boston, but that's not how it all played out.

Instead, the Bruins lost in the first round. There, I told 'ya that they didn't win, now for the love of all things Bobby Orr, can we all move on?

Despite what you may think, this is not a club that needs a major overhaul. And believe it or not, this is not a squad that needed Devil-turn-Wild Zach Parise, and they sure as hell don't need Rick Nash and his unfriendly price (meant in every sense of the term, please) if they are to contend in 2012-13 and beyond.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: The Bruins are fine. There are no cracks in the foundation of a club that's won the Northeast Division three times in the last four years, and there are no major holes in the armor of a club that's made it beyond the first round in three of Claude Julien's five years behind the Boston bench.

No Parise. No Nash. No (insert superstar talent here), and that's OK.

(Let me explain, but please take a moment to realize that you're about to enter the Tylight Zone...)

Part I: Prices and the aftermath of paying said prices

Fireworks came early on July 4th when news of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signing identical 13-year contracts worth $98 million with the Minnesota Wild broke. Setting the internet on fire with talk of Miami Heat-like partnerships dictating the way the offseason will go, there were more than a few people upset with Boston (and the rest of the league's) decision to not outbid the Wild, as if it was a feasible task.

But in the 24 hours that followed, it really didn't take long for the post-Parise news to come out in the Hub -- with many citing that the Bruins made a 'significant' offer to the 27-year-old winger, undoubtedly showing everyone how easy it is to say something after the fact -- and it took even less for the outcry to erupt from the armchair general managers of New England. How could the Bruins not try to out-bid the Wild's 13-year offer worth just short of nine figures?!

Well, allow me to explain: It's stupid.

Signing a player for anything north of seven years is always a gamble, and one Boston GM Peter Chiarelli will not take in the post-Marc Savard era of Bruins hockey. Lower cap-hits? Yeah, those are great, but you know what's even better? Not paying a guy for almost a decade and a half. Outside of Boston's Savard-driven scope of long-term paranoia, goaltender Rick DiPietro sits in Uniondale, N.Y as the greatest albatross in the NHL, with a completely immovable contract that ends in 2021, when hockey will be played in the sky. In Vancouver, Roberto Luongo is on the trading block less than three years into the 12-year extension he signed to be a Canuck into 2022, and last but not least, it's a cringe-inducing asking price and equally terrible cap-hit that'll keep Nash (unhappily) in Columbus with a $7.8 million cap-hit for the next six years barring a lowering of GM Scott Howson's utterly nonsensical demands.

Contracts have become, in a word, ludicrous.

However, for the sake of discussion here, let's say that the Bruins throw cap-caution out the window and say "Let's get Nashty!"

Before they go, wave goodbye to Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, because those are the two starters when it comes to getting this deal done, and that's just the tip of the ole' iceberg!

Sending two of the game's most promising prospects out the window for a player with four career playoff games under his belt, and a guy who hasn't tallied more than 40 goals and 70 points since 2008-09, the trade would add a near-eight million dollar marker to Boston's books through 2018. Looking at Boston's cap charts and seeing captain Zdeno Chara signed through 2018 should surely lessens the blow of such a thought, but there's a major thing to note when it comes to adding another contract: How the new system will play out when it comes to handing out these long-term contracts, especially when it comes to guys that'd be new to your system.

"I know we saw just a guy like Crosby, Staal and some of these guys with getting locked up to longer-term deals, but I think there’s gonna be an element of caution in that regard," Chiarelli said after the first day of free agency. "At least I’m gonna try and exercise caution and I would expect for the most part, some of the general managers would too. So that may not have been there so much before when we’re all awaiting what the new system's going to be."

In other words, the Bruins aren't keen on adding a guy for a billion years just to save a few dollars. To break it down in baseball terms (Why? Well, why not?): Instead of a home run, they're working the count, and facing a 2013 offseason headlined by new contracts needed for Seguin, Brad Marchand, Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, and goaltender Tuukka Rask, it's the right call.

Leveling with everyone and their pie-in-the-sky hopes, the B's were truthfully never in the market for a home run this offseason because they literally don't have to be. Why not? Well, for Chiarelli and the Bruins, it's always been about the team. It's honestly as brutally simple as that, and that's what's made them the class of the Northeast. Instead of dumping a truckload of money in search of a Doan, Nash, or Parise, the B's used their money to keep proven presences in the Hub, giving the Bruins the privilege of rolling four lines at all times.

Something that the Minnesota Wild -- a whopping $196 million (for two players) later -- can't say. Beyond their projected line of Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Dany Heatley, the Wild's forward core is rounded out by a bottom-six featuring names like Torrey Mitchell, Zenon Konopka, and Darrell Powe. And their defense is even worse, with Ryan Suter's pairing partner Jared Spurgeon and Tom Gilbert rounding out an otherwise no-name group of defensemen.

When given the option, any GM with a brain will take depth over star-power, and that's what Chiarelli's built over his tenure in Boston.

Instead of tightening himself against the cap with a fat contract or two, the Bruins will head into September with either a cheap veteran presence battling with Jordan Caron for a spot on Boston's third line, or have a three-way fight between Caron, Jared Knight, and Ryan Spooner for a chance to skate on the top-nine, and that's somehow a bad thing?

Part II: Fitting square pegs into round holes

Amid the hoopla of Boston lacking a 'true sniper', has anybody taken a step back to say that hey, maybe these guys simply aren't fits for the Boston Bruins at their price? As great as Parise and Nash could be, the simple truth is that they might not be Claude Julien's 'type', ultimately playing a part in keeping them out of the Hub.

Many look towards Parise's two-year run of pure dominance from 2008 to 2010, when the 5-foot-11 forward tallied a monstrous 83 goals and 176 points in 163 games, as the lone vote of confidence needed to throw the world at him, but it's important to note a few of the 'extra' numbers that came with those seasons.

I'm, of course, talking about Parise's role in the Devils' offense. For the majority of his tenure in black and red, Parise was thee guy for New Jersey, and it showed. In those two years, Parise finished with 364 (2008-09) and 347 (2009-10) shots on net. That's 711 of New Jersey's 4,120 total shots, good for a staggering 17.3% of the Devs' shots coming off Parise's stick.

Over 340 shots? Let's be honest, that's a pure pipedream for any player in the Julien system. Since taking over the Boston bench in 2007, the Bruins haven't had a forward finish with more than 242 shots in a season, that coming with from Seguin's sophomore campaign that saw him pot a team-high 29 goals. In the two years that followed Parise's near-800 day run of glory, a knee injury shortened his 2010-11 season to just 13 games, and a modest 69-point campaign last season paved the way for an equally modest 15 points in 24 playoff games.

Now, while many Devils fans don't want to hear it, Parise wasn't thee same guy for the Devils on their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final. That was a role for Ilya Kovalchuk, Adam Henrique, and even David Clarkson and Ryan Carter at certain moments. In short, I never found Parise as clutch as he was at certain points earlier in his career, and he wasn't saving the Boston Bruins at his price.

As for why I don't think Nash fits, there's an archive feature that'll lead you to a February blog about why Rick Nash is overrated.

Part III: Things aren't as bad as you think

I know losing in the first round isn't easy on the ole' psyche after an 82-game grind, especially on the heels of championship greatness, but it's the reality of this league. It's an absolute marathon on the body, and the Black-and-Gold just couldn't hang this past April.

But please, let's not buy into these fall of Rome-like false prophecies when it comes to the status of the Bruins. Despite the first round exit, the aforementioned Northeast title proved that once again the Bruins are a notch above the rest of their division, and are thee club the road towards a top-three seed goes through for the Sabres, Leafs, Sens, and Habs.Why? 'Cause the Bruins are just too solid.

In a year that saw them battle the infamous 'Stanley Cup hangover' by way of a 3-7-0 start to the season, the Bruins rebounded and were as dominant as could be for nearly three months, ultimately going 30-7-2 from the start of November through the end of January. That's a staggering 62 out of 78 points, good for an otherworldly 79.4 point-percentage. Finishing the year with a tame 16-15-2 close to the year, it was a season that brought Boston the highs and lows that come with a short offseason.

That being said, it was still a pretty damn successful season for the Bruins. Boston averaged the second most goals per game, scoring 3.17 goals a night, scored the most 5-on-5 goals in the league with 193, and had an NHL-best plus-67 goal differential. On defense, nobody was better at protecting a lead given Boston's perfect 32-0-0 mark when leading after two, they were able to battle back when allowing the first goal, boasting the league's seventh best win-percentage when trailing first, and in net only the New York Rangers allowed fewer goals among Eastern Conference clubs than the Bruins.

With all of this coming following an offseason that saw Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder replaced by Benoit Pouliot and Brian Rolston (From March on, mind you), I can assure you that things aren't as bad as you think when it comes to the production of the Boston Bruins.

Did I mention that they were without top-line winger Nathan Horton for the majority of the second half?

Part IV: Help from within

Hey, speaking of Horton, do you folks remember that guy? Big beard, wore No. 18, scored a lot of goals, lived for overtime? Well, according to many, he's on pace to be back at 100% by the start of the season, and that's more than crucial for the B's.

While many put the decline of the Bruins on the decision the snub the team's trip to the White House by goaltender Tim Thomas, dubbed to be the move that shattered the team's chemistry, people tend to forget that it was the loss of Horton the game prior that proved to be a killer for Boston.

Suffering a concussion on a bump from Philadelphia's Tom Sestito, the post-Horton Bruins stumbled and fumbled their way towards seizing 36 of a possible 70 points to close out the season, scoring just 92 goals and surrendering 95 in the 36 games with Horton watching from the press-box. Forcing everyone up a step on the Boston depth charter, the loss of the top-liner had an undeniable trickle-down effect on the offense, with five of the Bruins' seven shutouts against came with Horton shelved.

But with Horton in the lineup, the Bruins were a finely tuned offensive powerhouse, outscoring the opposition 177 to 107, with the club boasting a 12-1-0 when Horton scored, and saw the 27-year-old match his power-play production from a year prior (Six goals and two assists) in 34 fewer games before getting injured.

However, if Horton returns at less than 100%, suffers a setback, or simply doesn't click right away, that's not the only help the Bruins will receive in 2012-13. Behind Horton, the 20-year-old Tyler Seguin is on the fast-track to NHL stardom while prospects such as Jordan Caron, Jared Knight, Ryan Spooner, and even Dougie Hamilton are expected to get a taste of the NHL at some point or another.

That's why they draft, folks.

Part V: A bigger bang at the deadline

Yet, perhaps lost on everyone most of all when it comes to the Bruins' silence in free agency, is that they may be sitting this one out in anticipation of what's to hit the market this upcoming trade deadline. Regardless of its ability to become known as one of the hockey season's biggest duds, the names that could headline the '13 trade deadline are simply huge. Jarome Iginla, Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias, and even the Ducks' Corey Perry and Ryan Getzalf are just among the top tier of guys that could be on the move this upcoming winter, and that's something the Bruins know.

So, if given the choice, do you tie up money for mid-tier talent now, or hope that these guys hit the market at the deadline? Easy call, my friends, easy call.

Other news and Bruins notes

In anything-but-shocking news, Alexander Khokhlachev officially signed with the Spartak Moscow HC yesterday, and will wear No. 89 for the club. The Bruins expect "Koko" to return to North America next season, where he'll compete for a spot on the NHL roster or play with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.

Yesterday, the Bruins also made their first free agent signing of the summer, inking 6-foot-4 center Christian Hanson to a two-way deal for the 2012-13 season.

Hanson spent last year with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, tallying 10 goals and 21 points in 52 games, has three goals and nine points in 42 games at the National Hockey League level, all coming during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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