Bruins Snag Much Needed Win but Offensive Struggles Persist
In their last six games, the Boston Bruins have registered an even strength goal just three times.
On Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Trent Frederic jumped off the bench at the 7:07 mark of the third period and wristed the winning goal past a screened Casey DeSmith. For Boston, it was their first 5-on-5 goal in 202 minutes of hockey and while it was not particularly glamorous, it was their first win in Pittsburgh since 2015. As they jockey with the Penguins for playoff positioning, the Bruins will take a win however they can.
But if this back-to-back against the Penguins proved anything it’s that Boston is primarily a one-line team that struggles to score at even strength. It was apparent in last year's playoff bubble and by not addressing their biggest flaw in free agency this past offseason, Boston’s chances of making the playoffs are in legitimate peril.
For instance, on Monday night Matt Grzelcyk opened the scoring on the powerplay, and then Boston watched helplessly as Pittsburgh scored four unanswered goals while cruising to a victory.
Once the Penguins secured the lead their game plan was simple: suffocate Boston’s top line. Considering how much David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Nick Ritchie and Craig Smith have struggled this season, they posed almost no threat to score when they took the ice. As a result, the Bruins are currently one of the least dynamic teams in the league.
While largely composed of pieces from last season’s Presidents’ Trophy-winning team, it is evident that a shakeup of some kind is in order. However, with so many teams across the league on the cusp of making the playoffs, a flat salary cap for the foreseeable future and quarantine restrictions for players moving across Canada’s borders, the fact of the matter is that many general managers aren't keen on making a deal.
That's not to say that under the proper circumstances a deal couldn't be made. For example, the Anaheim Ducks are “open for business” according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Boston acquired both Ritchie and Ondrej Kase from Anaheim at last year's trade deadline so one could theorize that a package for 27-year-old Rickard Rakell could be explored. Signed through 2022 at a $3.8 million average annual value, Rakell wouldn’t break the bank and his 19 points so far this season would make him the fourth-highest scorer on the Bruins behind Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
That being said, Boston would need to clear salary in order to retain Rakell’s services. Anaheim is a team in the market for prospects as well as leadership as they rebuild. Perhaps packaging former Duck Chris Wagner or the struggling Jake DeBrusk, as well as a second or third-round pick, could be a starting point.