The Bruins have rung in the new year making points. Boston currently sits fourth in the Atlantic Division. Since Christmas, the Bruins are 3-4. With many players injured with Covid head coach, Bruce Cassidy remains optimistic. In this post, we will review three areas the team needs to focus on going forward.
Rotate The Goalies
The Bruins have experienced recent success by rotating their goalies. Rookie netminder Jeremy Swayman has been impressive since the start of the season. Free _agent signing Linus Ullmark has been a pleasant surprise.
Last week the organization announced they have signed Tuukka Rask. Rask for years has been the team’s number one netminder. How the club utilizes three goaltenders remains to be seen.
Rask was the big reason the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup finals three years ago. Swayman has won the respect of Bruins fans with his athleticism. If the team has any hopes of reaching the finals, one of the three needs to play consistently.
Add A Left Shot Defenseman
Overall, the Bruins rank seventh in the league in Goals Against. The top four are Charlie McAvoy /Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk/Derek Forbort/ Mike Reily/Connor Clifton. The group is OK but not Stanley Cup material.
Two players I like are Jakob Chychrun and Cam Dineen both of Arizona. ChyChruns name has popped for several weeks. Chychrun is a towering 6’3,” 210lb defenseman. The beauty of Chychrun is he is a left shot. Salary_ wise, he is carrying a 4.6 million cap hit with three years left on his contract. Dineen is a promising young defenseman. Standing at 5’9” Dineen would not be as expensive as Chychrun. The reality is the Bruins would pay a hefty package in return. It would take a hefty package to acquire a player of his skill.
Depth At Center
Adding another centerman is another option for the Bruins. The experiment of Charle Coyle on the second line is not working. Head coach Bruce Cassidy has had to rotate Players like Coyle and Jack Studnicka. since Deave Krejci left finding a replacement hasn’t been easy.
In, thirty games this season Coyle has eight goals and eight assists and a plus_ minus rating of 1. There is no doubt that Bruin fans miss David Krejci. His playmaking skills were exceptional.
Conclusion
After a 3-2 loss to the Wild, the Bruins hope to rebound against Tampa Saturday. The goaltending issue is worth keeping an eye on. Rookie Jeremy Swayman is proving he belongs at the NHL level.
