Put simply, statistics like these are not a recipe for the sustained regular season success that has become expected in this Original Six market.
Much of the discussion over the next several weeks will circle around whether or not the Boston Bruins should buy or sell ahead of the trade deadline. On one hand, they are clearly in need of a roster retool and could benefit from obtaining prospects and draft picks.
But on the other hand, the Bruins are still in the playoff race and may not want to punt on the season altogether given that the Eastern Conference is still competitive enough for them.
However, the more interesting question is if the Boston Bruins should be aggressive again in free agency. In July 2023, they went bargain hunting for veteran players like Kevin Shattenkirk and James van Reimsdyk, which largely worked out for them in 2023-24.
However, this past summer, they swung heavy for center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, inking them to big deals while also extending Swayman in early October.
In reality, none of the three roster moves have worked out well for the Boston Bruins this season
So while Boston will again have significant levels of cap space to spend in the summer, it remains to be seen what direction they should go. If they decide to try and complement David Pastrnak and rectify their aforementioned scoring issues, perhaps fishing for impending free agents Jack Roslovic or Brock Boeser could be an option.
Jack Roslovic has 26 points in 50 games for the Carolina Hurricanes since leaving his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets and has rode the elevator up and down the lineup this season amidst these modest but still impressive numbers. His current cap hit is $2.8 million but he’d probably fetch somewhere between $4 and $6 million in free agency. In perspective, Bruins’ forward Pavel Zacha makes $4.75 million and has three more points on the season.
Meanwhile, Brock Boeser is playing atop a meddling and dysfunctional Vancouver Canucks team. Boeser may not crack the 73-point total he had in 2023-24, but the Minnesotan still has 16 goals and 16 assists in 41 games this season.
