The Boston Bruins held a function earlier this week and both Cam Neely and Don Sweeney spoke to the media.  I figured this is a good time to talk about what they said and to take a look at exactly where the team stands at this point in the season.  Let’s take a look.   

Before I get into what was said at the event, let me first give an update to the state of the team as we head into this weekend’s games.

I touched on the Bruins in my latest This and That column and I think the main point I was trying to get across was that the team was stagnant and had no room for growth as they were constructed.  They were who they were.  I pointed out that not only were they mediocre but there was nothing to look forward to as the front office was very unwilling to give any of their prospects a real shot at making the team, even though the team was playing rather poorly.  Well, sometimes the Hockey Gods can step in and force a team to do the right thing.  Due to a hand full of injuries, the Bruins were forced to call up Vinni Lettieri, Matthew Poitras, and Michael Callahan.  I don’t know how long any of them are going to stay with the big club, but at least for one game there was hope.  There was something to look forward to.  They were building towards something.  Callahan should stay a little while longer as the Bruins have said Charlie McAvoy is going to be shut down for a few games.  Kastelic, however, could come back as soon as their next game but now Koepke is going to miss the matchup against Ottawa, so there should still be a spot for both Lettieri and Poitras for at least one more game.  Now, I don’t want Kastelic to have a lingering injury, especially as I believe it’s a head injury, but I hope the Bruins find a way to keep both young forwards in the lineup even once he and Koepke returns.  Their additions paid dividends in their first outing.  Not only did they bring energy and life to the lineup, but they also produced.  Poitras used his speed and skills to set up Trent Fredric for the games first goal and Lettieri drew a penalty that led to another goal.  Callahan was a plus 1.  He is a classic stay at home defenseman who isn’t going to rack up a lot of points.  Were they perfect?  Nope.  Was anyone else on the team?  Nope.  They brought skill and energy and speed to the team.  Which is exactly what the team needs.  Sweeney and company have to see this. 

While we can hope that the injection of youth and skill can propel the Bruins offense to the level it needs to be for them to win consistently, Swayman seems to be bringing the goaltending level back to where it is expected to be.  Swayman got off to a terrible start as, to be honest, you would expect some one who missed all of training camp to do.  However, lately he seems to have hit his groove and rounded into mid-season form.  In the month of January, he has posted a .919 save percentage which is right around his usual average.  The Bruins have been giving up so many shots every game that even with the excellent save percentage he is still giving up 2.84 goals per game, which is high but excusable.  I mean the Bs gave up 98 shots on goal over their last two games, both of which they won by the way.  If the team can play a little better in front of him, I am sure Swayman will start posting his usual numbers and be back to being a top goalie in the league.    

So that’s were we stand with the team. When Sweeney and Neely spoke to the press they talked about the trade deadline and whether or not the Bruins would/should be buyers or sellers. Neely commented that they need to be prepared for two paths as the deadline nears. Some people think the fact that he even floated out the idea of them being sellers was because that’s the direction they are leaning and they want to prepare the fans for it. I don’t know if that’s true but I do think it is a real possibility. The Bruins, for the first time in a long time, could be sellers at the deadline. I don’t know if that would be the worst thing in the world.

The question of whether or not the Bruins should be buyers or sellers at the deadline is a complicated one.  What defines “selling”?  Trading Pastrnak, Swayman, McAvoy, and/or Marchand would definitely be selling.  Do I think they should move any of these guys if they are out of the playoffs at the deadline?  Well, definitely not Pastrnak.  I don’t think you can trade Swayman after signing him to the big contract.  How does that look to other players looking to sign extensions with Boston?  It’s just a really bad look.  That leaves Marchand and McAvoy.  As for McAvoy, assuming they got a good return, I wouldn’t be too upset if they moved him.  I like McAvoy but he has not become the top D-man he was projected to.  Whether it was the big contract or his injury (and quick return) that is to blame doesn’t matter.  He is just being over paid at this point for the level of play they are getting from him.  I am not saying they need to move him.  I would be happy if he remained a Bruin, however, if they can get a nice return for him, I’d move him. 

That brings us to the Captain, Marchand.  The Little Ball of Hate isn’t signed beyond this season so if they trade him, it would most likely be a rental.  We’re half way through January now and they have not come to an agreement yet.  That’s not a great sign for him remaining with the Bruins.  Are the Bs looking to let him go at the end of the season?  If so, even if they are barely in the playoffs, come trade deadline time, they should look to get something for him instead of just letting him go in free agency for nothing.   While he would be a great depth addition for a contender, at this point in his career he is not a top tier player, so what type of return would the Bruins be able to secure for the Nose Faced Killer?  I can’t believe they would get the typical pick, prospect, player combo that teams usually get for a rental.  But if the plan is to not have him on the Bruins next season, they should take what they can get for him.  If they do want to sign him to an extension, then the return they can get for him would be the deciding factor for me.  If someone gives them an above market offer, then maybe it’s better for the team to take the assets and move on from Marchand.  Personally, I would love for Marchand to finish his career as a Bruin but they have to do what is best for the team.  Of course, they could also travel both paths at the same time and trade him at the deadline and then just resign him in the offseason.  I think that is permitted by the league.

I’ve talked about Pastrnak in the past so I just quickly say he’s the best offensive player on the team, by far and one of the top goal scorers in the league.  You do not trade him unless you are going into tank mode.  I don’t think the Bruins should go into tank mode. 

Back to what defines selling.  When Neely or Sweeney talk about becoming sellers, do they mean the top tier guys I mentioned or do they feel guys like Coyle and Hampus Lindholm are in that same level?  Because to me, that’s not selling.  That’s dumping bad salaries for cap space to acquire better players.  I have been calling for them to be traded since the moment the clock hit triple zeros in the Bruins last game of last season.  I also wouldn’t consider trading anyone else selling.  They are mediocre guys who can be replaced or better yet, upgraded.  They shouldn’t be married to any of them.  The two new guys, Elias Lindholm and Zadorov, to me fall into the same category as Swayman in that you don’t want to trade guys less than a year after signing them because it looks terrible to other free agents.  I’m gonna sign with Boston just to get traded at the deadline?  Why don’t I just sign somewhere else?  So, to me, selling means trading either McAvoy or Marchand or both of them.  If they don’t turn things around in the next month before the Four Nations break (don’t get me started on that), and they can get a good return, they should probably make the moves.  I will say this though, The Bruins traded Seguin mid-season and did not get a good return for him.  That was a different front office but I still am not sure I trust this front office to get a good return. 

The problem I have with the question of whether the Bruins should be buyers or sellers at the dead line is that I don’t think they can/should wait until the deadline.  The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7^th.  That is six weeks from now.  The Bruins have 18 games between now and then.  That’s a long time to wait to improve your team.  I know they want to wait to see how the team plays between now and the deadline to see if they should buy or sell but I don’t think that’s the best plan of attack.  Unless they are going to give Poitras and Lettieri a real shot at showing what they can bring to the team.  Even then, Lettieri isn’t a young prospect.  He’s 29 and played in the NHL before.  I am not saying he won’t be an improvement over what they have been icing all season, it’s not a high bar to get over, but I don’t expect him to be any kind of difference maker.  He’s not going to get any better.  Basically, Poitras is the only guy they are playing that could change things for the better.  The only guy who should be evaluated.  In other words, there isn’t much for them to see as far as this season goes.  They know what this team is.  Don’t wait, make the moves now.  I mean, what’s the point of demarcation?  If they are the last wild card, they don’t sell but if they are a point out they do?  I mean, this team isn’t going to win the Cup as constituted.  Even if they start playing better, which they have in the past two games.  If they are going to be buyers, they have to try to buy as soon as possible.  Letting this team play the next 18 games before the deadline, especially if, or I should probably say when, they send the guys back to Providence is really just asking to be caught in no man’s land come March 7^th. 

They most likely will be a fringe playoff team. That makes the decision to buy or sell much harder. If you are in the playoffs and sell, that looks awful to your fanbase and your players. If you stand pat at the deadline you look like you have no confidence in the team and that plays terrible in the locker room. If you buy, there is a good chance you are giving up assets yet the team still will not be good enough to make a real run. If you sell now, you avoid looking bad as you are “shaking things up”. and if you buy now, that gives the team a chance to come together and try to make a run with half the season to go. It also allows you to better evaluate the players you acquired and have kept. It just makes more sense to pick a direction and run with it as soon as possible.

The other talking point that came out of Neely’s presser was that he said he thought the team was better than it is.  He did say he didn’t expect guys who had career years last season to be quite as good but he expected them to be better than they are. OK that is understandable but I disagree.  I think this team is pretty much playing up to its level.  But the real problem here is that it shows that the Bruins front office isn’t particularly good at evaluating talent.  Again, I thought it was obvious that they did not have nearly enough scoring during the payoffs last season.  Never mind going into this season.  Think about it.  They had guys have career years last season, Coyle, Zacha, Frederic, and Geekie in particular.  So if they come down a little in goals, you have to make up those goals just to get back to even.  Then you have to make up for the guys who left the team.  DeBrusk, Heinen, and even Van Riemsdyk’s 11 goals.  That’s a lot of goals to make up.  And the only goal scorer they brought in was Elias Lindholm and he scored 15 goals last season.  And here’s the worst news…Everyone I mentioned, except for Coyle, is on pace to match their goal total from last season.  In other words, the team is playing up to their potential.  This is how good they are.  So Lindholm has to replace the 36 goals DeBrusk and Heinen scored last year just for the team to be even to a season where they did not have enough goal scoring.   How they saw this and thought the team was good enough is beyond me.  By the way, DeBrusk, who led the Bruins in playoff goals last season, has 17 goals already this season.  That would put him second on the team. 

The Bruins as constructed are not legit Cup contenders. And “yes, there are two paths they can go by but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road (their) on”. That long run is 18 games. Hopefully they make a decision and some moves one way or the other long before the deadline hits. At least they called up some young guys to give us something compelling to watch until they decide what to do with this inadequate roster.