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This season has been full of uncertainty for the Boston Bruins from the very beginning.
It all started in training camp when multiple players missed time for various reasons. Now, well past the halfway point of their schedule, the Bruins have yet to find any traction, leading the front office to a fork in the road at the NHL trade deadline.
As of right now, the Bruins are outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, sitting a point back of the second wildcard spot. With a mediocre record of 27-24-6 and only 25 games left to play, they have just a 14.9% chance of making the postseason, according to Moneypuck.com.
Although the outlook for the Bruins is about as bleak as it can get, there is still reason to believe that playoff hockey will return to Causeway Street this year.
David Pastrnak Producing on Another Level:
Perhaps the one bright spot on a roster that has been full of black holes this year is David Pastrnak.
Like many others on the Bruins, Pastrnak had a slow start to the season. But once the calendar turned to 2025, he switched to a new gear. Pastrnak has tallied 31 points with 15 goals in 18 games since the start of the new year.
Pastrnak ranks eighth in the league in scoring entering the 4 Nations Face-Off break and is in the midst of a 13-game point streak, during which he’s put up 26 points with 11 goals.
However, despite Pastrnak’s best efforts, the Bruins have yet to put forth theirs.
“I would give up the point streak for two points [in the standings] today,” Pastrnak said following the Bruins’ loss to the Vegas Golden Knights this past Saturday.
While the team as a whole has yet to catch fire, other players have begun to heat up thanks to Pastrnak’s hot streak. Skating opposite of Pastrnak on Boston’s top line, Morgan Geekie has become a reliable source of secondary scoring.
Even the power play, which earlier this year functioned with complete incompetency, has become somewhat operational, with Pastrnak becoming more of a facilitator rather than a finisher.
The Bruins certainly need a lot more players to start pulling their weight, but Pastrnak is doing more than enough heavy lifting in the meantime.
Jeremy Swayman Settling In as Starting Goalie:
It took longer than anyone would’ve liked, but Jeremy Swayman has settled in nicely as the tried and true starter between the pipes for the Bruins as he’s started 13 of the last 18 games in goal.
In that span, Swayman has shown the same flashes of brilliance, such as his 36-save shutout of the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 4, that helped him earn his massive eight-year, $66 million contract extension over the summer.
However, there have also been moments where he bared more of a resemblance to Swiss cheese rather than a goalie. Take the seven goals he allowed against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 28, which was by far his worst performance of the season.
More often than not, Swayman, at the very least, has given the Bruins a chance to win lately. Interim head coach Joe Sacco says the team will continue to lean on him over the remaining course of the season and that it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Swayman starts three out of every four games.
As he should. It’s what the Bruins are paying him for, after all.
Return of Hampus Lindholm Should Stabilize Defense:
Defense was supposed to be the identity of the Bruins this year, and it has, at times. Other times, they seem to forget who they are, and when they do, it’s hard to watch.
It’s important to note, though, that the Bruins have played the majority of this season without a major piece on the back end.
Hampus Lindholm has missed the last 40 games with a lower-body injury that he suffered in mid-November. Since then, the Bruins have tried to fill his void with a rotating cast of defensemen, whether that be Parker Wotherspoon, Jordan Oesterle, or Michael Callahan.
While neither of those three have performed poorly per se, they haven’t matched Lindholm’s ability as individuals or as a collective.
Lindholm has been back skating for nearly a month now and has made significant steps towards a return that is soon to come following the 4 Nations break. When it does, he will be a valuable addition to the Bruins lineup down the stretch of the season.
More must-reads:
- Kraken announce lucrative new deal for veteran winger
- Flyers first-round pick expected to commit to Michigan State
- The 'NBA all-time 50-point game leaders' quiz
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Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
Could this young forward answer multiple questions for the Rangers?
Through much of his time with the New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad has been too good to be a second-line center, yet not quite a top liner for a contender. Now aging out of his prime, his play has dropped off the past two seasons, only rebounding when moved to the wing next to midseason acquisition J.T. Miller. That presents a problem for New York. The Rangers are not deep down the middle. Moving Zibanejad back to center provides that depth, putting Vincent Trochek back in his appropriate 3C role. But does Zibanejad again suffer without Miller? It also leaves the Blueshirts thin on the right side. Zibanejad can’t play two positions at once and the Rangers cannot rob Peter to pay Paul. There is a solution, however: Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish. Anaheim and New York already have strong front office ties, with a pair of trades in the past eight months. The cross-continental line should be open. McTavish is precisely the player archetype that Rangers general manager Chris Drury has sought in this past year. The 22-year-old possesses good size (6-foot-1, 219 pounds) and plays with a grit that Drury adores. An old-fashioned power forward in the making, McTavish hunts bodies, making life miserable for defenders on the forecheck and finds pockets of space when off the puck, where he unloads a cannon of a shot. An all-situations player, McTavish digs in the corners and is developing nicely as an offensive driver. McTavish is a hard worker who shows leadership traits. New Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan loves to play with speed and relentless pressure, a mantra that suits McTavish down to the ground. For a second-line center, McTavish’s numbers don’t exactly pop off the page, but 52 points (22 goals) in 76 games for a bad Ducks team is nothing to sneeze at. In New York, he would also presumably get to play with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. Given the playmaking ability of those wingers and McTavish’s heavy shot, 30-plus goals could be on the cards. Bleacher Report has stated that the Ducks are unlikely to extend McTavish an offer sheet, instead willing to match whatever offer comes his way. Does that mean he is on the trade block? At the very least it means that Anaheim will likely be willing to listen to offers. That said, it would take an almighty package to pry the former No. 3 pick out of Orange County. The Ducks would rightly command a first-round pick — if not two — and a highly-rated prospect. New York has its own first-rounders in store, as well as a, likely, late first-rounder next year, with second-round picks each year except 2027. Would New York part with a first, a second and a pair of its top prospects? The Rangers are loaded with left wing prospects. Whilst Gabe Perrault is likely off the table, Brennan Othmann, Adam Sykora and Brett Berard should be discussed, as should defenseman E.J. Emery. Would picks and a pair of prospects be enough for Anaheim, though? Here’s a thought experiment: a deal centered around Will Cuylle. As mentioned, the Rangers have a raft of left wingers coming through and Lafreniere is also a natural left winger. Would trading Cuylle for McTavish solve the Rangers' issues at the pivot, allowing Zibanejad to help fix the right-hand side and give the team room to develop more youngsters on the left? Could this solve three issues in one swoop? It would be a, potentially, seismic move, but it might just make sense for both teams, especially if the Ducks are not looking to keep McTavish around long-term. It would complete a remarkable offseason for Drury.
Deion Sanders says he's not 'all the way recovered' amid health issue
It seems like it might be a little longer before Deion Sanders can join the rest of his Colorado coaching staff. In a video recently posted by his son, Deion Sanders Jr, the NFL legend admitted that he's not yet fully recovered from his undisclosed health issue. “You know I’m still going through something,” the head coach said. “I ain’t all the way recovered.” Almost two weeks ago, Sanders took the stage at Big 12 media day, but he didn't want to address his health issues. “I’m not here to talk about my health,” Sanders said. “I’m here to talk about my team.” According to the Athletic, Sanders, who's recovering in his home in Texas, has been in close contact with his coaching staff. Colorado athletic director Rick George also said that Sanders would "probably" report to campus within the next two weeks, per the Athletic. The former Super Bowl winner has a long history of health concerns. He had two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clots, and he went under the knife again in 2023 after reportedly dealing with some excruciating pain. The Buffaloes are transitioning into the post-Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter era and looking to build from last year's 9-4 record and big win at the Alamo Bowl.
Matthew Stafford news highlights potential need for Rams
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Red Sox pitcher sounds off on disgruntled sports bettors
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