Thanks to their trade deadline acquisition of Hampus Lindholm, the Bruins do not currently own a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft that is set to kick off Thursday night in Montreal.
But despite the lack of a first-round pick—at the moment and more on that below—there was plenty to talk about Wednesday morning when team president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney addressed the media.
Jake DeBrusk is here to stay
Earlier this week TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported that Jake DeBrusk’s agent Rick Valette notified Sweeney that his client has
rescinded his trade request.
Sweeney confirmed the report on Wednesday.
"That's accurate, yeah, he rescinded. We're very happy that Jake has turned a corner in how he feels about the Boston Bruins and wants to be with us,” Sweeney said. “He had a hell of a second part of the year and deserves a lot of credit for the production he put forth, and he's looking forward to being back.”
Given the issues he had staying in the lineup on a consistent basis under Bruce Cassidy, DeBrusk rescinding his trade request after the firing of Cassidy is no surprise.
DeBrusk is coming off a 25-goal, 42-point campaign. It’s his best season since a 27-goal, 42-point season in 2018-19, his second season as a pro.
No deal with Patrice Bergeron, yet.
It’s been nearly two weeks since word broke that Patrice Bergeron has decided
to return to the Bruins on a one-year deal, however, no deal has been signed yet.
"My conversations with Patrice have gone well. His recovery has gone well. I suspect coming out of the Draft and heading into free agency that he'll be in a real good place. We're excited that he's considering playing and moving forward with what we think is a positive mindset,” Sweeney said.
"He went through the elbow procedure for a reason, I think, not just to feel better in the offseason,” Neely said. “I'm starting to feel a little more confident that he's leaning in the direction we want him to lean in.”
Whether it’s Bergeron or someone else, solidifying their top-line center position is the Bruins top priority this off-season, obviously Bergeron would check that box.
Maybe that David Krejci door is still open?
While first-line center is the Bruins top priority, rounding out their top-six with a solid second-line center is very high the wish list.
While many held out hope that David Krejci would return from his stint in the Czech Republic and solve the Bruins second-line center woes, the dream never came true last season.
But now, it sounds like there’s a realistic chance Krejci could be back in black and gold once again.
"I've been in touch with David and [his representatives] who he's working with. Again, he's spending a lot of time with his family and deciding what he'd like to do,” Sweeney said. “The conversations have gone well. It's just a matter of what David decides, ultimately, and if we're to be the place that he chooses."
The domino effect that would come from signing Bergeron and Krejci would be interesting, but seemingly would require some maneuvering of the cap by Sweeney as the Bruins currently sit with $2.3M in cap space.
If the Bruins are to bring Bergeron and Krejci back, it seems like a defensemen would have to be on the move, likely Matt Grzelcyk or Brandon Carlo.
Speaking of a trade…
Since 2018 the Bruins have drafted twice in the first round, selecting John Beecher in 2019, Fabian Lysell in 2021.
Without a first-round pick in 2022 as mentioned above, Sweeney is keeping tabs on things and actively trying to swing a deal that will land the Bruins a first-round pick Thursday evening.
Acquiring first-round picks is never an easy task, especially this close to the draft. Certainly if the Bruins were to get a deal done and find their way back into the first round, a player like Carlo, DeBrusk or Grzelcyk would have to be on the move.
“When you win and are a competitive team, it's hard to part with really good players even though you know you'd like to get back into the first round and improve your prospect pool overall,” Sweeney said. “That's generally what trying to win is and being a competitive team is all about it.
More Pasta, please.
David Pastrnak will enter the upcoming season on the final year of a six-year extension signed in September of 2017. Sweeney hopes to soon sign Pastrnak to another one in the coming weeks.
"I believe Don is meeting with [Pastrnak’s] agent in Montreal here, so we'll see where that goes,” Neely said. “But I feel very positive about it.”
Regardless of which direction the Bruins take in the next year or two, they’re going to want Pastrnak part of both their short-term and long-term plans.
It would be beneficial for both the Bruins and Pastrnak to hammer out an extension and sign it prior to the beginning of the season, allowing Bruins fans to breathe easy about potentially losing their superstar forward.
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