The Bruins fell short once again in overtime as the Ottawa Senators came out with a 3-2, series-clinching win on Sunday. As hard as it is to say, the Bruins deserved to lose this series. The Bruins were crippled with injuries but still looked slow, sloppy, couldn’t get pass the neutral zone, etc. Obviously there were multiple officiating blunders, some that could have turned the series entirely in Boston’s direction, but that is an argument for another day.
Fact of the matter is, the season is over and it’s time to figure out the keys to a successful offseason for the Bruins. The fans in Boston have felt disdain the last two years as the Bruins had not made a playoff appearance since the 2014-15 season. This offseason should be focused around the coaches and players necessary to ensure the Bruins stay in contention. Newly minted GM Don Sweeney will have to keep his priorities straight these next few months to keep his team at the forefront of the league.
For starters, Boston doesn’t technically have an official head coach. This means that the first order of business should be to make a final decision on whether or not interim HC Bruce Cassidy is the man for the job. Cassidy coached the team for only 27 games after Boston cut ties with now-Montreal HC Claude Julien midway through the season. That is a small sample of games to base a head coaching job on, but it has to be said that Cassidy was able to jump start the Bruins towards the playoffs. When the Bruins fired Julien back in February, they weren’t at their best with a 26-23-6 record. Under Cassidy, Boston went 18-8-1 the remainder of the season. He was able to lead a young team, with players who had never played an NHL game before, into the playoffs. It was a first-round bounce, but it was a step in the right direction.
Moving towards the players on the ice, the best way to describe the Bruins struggles this season would be injuries and lack of scoring depth on the roster. Brad Marchand had a stellar year with 39 goals and 85 points overall on the year, but turned quiet in the Bruins’ series with Ottawa (1G, 4P). The issue is that the Bruins cannot rely on one of their wingers to win hockey games. When neither Marchand or David Pastrnak can produce, the lack of depth for Boston gets exposed and puts them into holes early. This means that this offseason should focus heavily on the development of the young talent that the Bruins already have and those they could acquire.
This has seemed like the ushering of a new era of NHL players with stars such as Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Johnny Gaudreau, and dozens of others. Just about every team in the NHL has an under-25 player that produce impressive numbers and the Bruins need to get on board with this trend. Sean Kuraly is a perfect example as he emerged as the Game 5 hero with two goals. Even Pastrnak showed improvements this season as he netted 34 goals and 70 total points over the course of the season. With offseason adjustments and coaching, the aforementioned players as well as defenseman Charlie McAvoy can bring new life to the Bruins next year. McAvoy had been called up after a slew of injuries, but with only 6 games under his belt has shown strength, speed and discipline guarding his net.
The Bruins may not be true Stanley Cup contenders for a couple more years, but the process has to start sometime and that time is now. Focusing on teaching new and young players the fundamentals to Boston hockey and putting a head coach in place to do so will work wonders for the Bruins.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
