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Unfortunately for fans of the Boston Bruins, rooting interests vary this time of year.
With the B’s failing to qualify for the postseason for the second straight season, Boston fans were once again left to pick a bandwagon to hop on for the best time of the year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But if there’s one game the Black and Gold should be unified in in regards to their cheering, it’s tonight’s Game 7 matchup between the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators. And it’s for the Predators.
In the (unnecessarily debated)
Martin Jones to San Jose trade last summer, the Bruins obtained a 2016 first-round pick from San Jose along with NCAA prospect
Sean Kuraly, and it’s the pick that has a chance to vary depending on tonight’s end result in San Jose.
If the Sharks lose, the pick will lock in as the 18th overall selection for the Black and Gold. But if the Sharks win and move into the Western Conference Finals, the pick will be the 27th at best and could drop as low as 30th overall if the Sharks win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Some notable picks made by the Bruins at No. 18 include Glen Murray (1991) and Barry Pederson (1980).
The Bruins picked at 13th, 14th, and 15th a season ago, so they’re somewhat familiar with having picks sandwiched close together (again, a San Jose loss gives the Bruins the 14th and 18th overall selections this June). But the 18th pick -- or perhaps even the 14th -- is an undeniably stronger trade chip than a final-four pick of the first round should the Bruins choose to explore that route for a potential draft night blockbuster trade. That’s something I wouldn’t rule out of the equation given the pressure to improve.
At the same time, and now 11 years removed from his trade out of town, it’s hard to root against
Joe Thornton, isn’t it? Thornton caught so much unnecessary grief during his tenure with the Black and Gold, in an era headlined by front office mismanagement, but has continued to struggle to drop that ‘big game choker’ label that’s haunted him for his entire NHL career. It’s also kinda crazy to realize that ‘Jumbo Joe’ has now been in San Jose longer than he was in Boston, too.
Still, with the Bruins holding a stake in it, you're probably rooting for one more choke.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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