I’ll be honest here.
I really thought the Bruins were going to sign Mike Hoffman. I mean it just made too much sense. The Bruins had a need for a winger in their top six, and Hoffman would have been a nice fit alongside Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci.
As cap space was an issue and Hoffman still remained unsigned through the NHL’s 2020-21 season announcement, it really felt like a trade was coming, cap space would be available and then Hoffman would sign a one-year contract with the Bruins.
But then Blues forward Alex Steen announced his retirement from the league and a cap space door magically opened for the Blues and suddenly Hoffman to the Blues just made more sense.
On Sunday, the Blues signed Hoffman to a PTO with the intention of signing him once the Blues can use their LTIR cap space.
The announcement left Bruins fans disturbed as Hoffman was the last big free agent remaining in the market, or at least the last one on the market that will make a huge impact in the coming season.
So while the Bruins struck out on another player that would have made them better in 2020-21, I’m here to tell you there’s no need to panic.
For now at least…
Yes, I am aware the Bruins—who got throttled by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the bubble last season—didn’t get much better after losing Torey Krug and potentially Zdeno Chara.
Yes, I am aware the only addition the Bruins made from a season ago is Craig Smith.
And yes, I am aware the Bruins defense is surrounded by question marks, youth and inexperience.
But if you take a step back and look at the big picture, it’s really not so bad.
A lot can change between now and the beginning of the season on Jan. 13, but as the Bruins stand today they’re certainly one of the top four teams—at least in my opinion— in the newly formed East division.
And let’s not forget that finshing inside the top-four of your division gets you a playoff spot this season. With the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs being intra-division only, you should have confidence in the Bruins ability to win their division in the playoffs and advance themselves to the final four of the playoffs.
So what happens if they get there?
The Bruins currently sit with just under $3M in cap space. Obviously if the Bruins and Chara were to agree upon a new contract, cap space would be razer thin. But as team president Cam Neely mentioned last week, the team wants to have some cap flexibility both entering the season and throughout the trade deadline.
With the state of the league, (lack of fans, revenue etc…) the flat cap and the whole Seattle expansion draft coming this summer, we could see a very active trade deadline. A type of deadline day? week? we haven’t seen in a while.
If the Bruins are in the thick of things on Apr. 12—the NHL trade deadline, the right move or two could be the difference of getting to and winning a Stanley Cup.
If the Bruins are right where it’s expected they should be in April and Sweeney has a trade deadline similar to the one that saw him acquire Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson two seasons ago, wouldn’t that be better than making a move in December just to “make a move?…
Yes, they couldn’t seal the deal in Game 7, but I don’t think the Bruins even get to the Stanley Cup Final let alone Game 7 without the impact Coyle and Johansson made on the Bruins third line.
Sure, Matt Hoffman from day one would be impactful and even Anthony Duclair would have been a nice fit. Heck, even Andreas Athanasiou—two years removed from a 30 goal campaign—could have been a low-risk high-reward signing.
But I am okay with the Bruins roster as is and seeing if a Connor Clifton or Jeremy Lauzon can take that next step in their development.
I am okay with giving Jakub Zboril, Urho Vaakanainen and Jack Studnicka a shot to earn some playing time
I’m okay with seeing how Ondrej Kase—albeit he’s got to stay healthy—gels with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.
And I’m okay with the Bruins hoping that Anders Bjork can improve on what was his first healthy and first solid season.
The Bruins have holes as they enter training camp next week, there’s no denying that. Some of those holes much larger than others and ones that maybe won’t be fixed this season.
But with those holes and the loss of Krug and potentially Chara, the Bruins still have enough talent on their roster to contend for a cup and for me, that’s enough to leave the panic button in the kitchen junk drawer.
For now at least…