We’re well into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but things, or lack thereof, seem particularly unusual for Boston Bruins fans. For the first time in 8 years, the Bruins failed to qualify for the playoffs, forcing CEO Charlie Jacobs and President Cam Neely to revoke Peter Chiarelli of his duties as General Manager.
Taking Positives From A Very Negative Bruins Season
This season was certainly a disappointing one for the Bruins. Whether it was the defensive struggles which occurred after the Johnny Boychuk trade, or the simple notion that some of the Bruins most valuable players were not meeting expectations, the fans will stay disappointed until the main source of the issues are addressed.
Until then, it’s important to not only focus on the negatives in a season, however to also realize some of the positives as well. Without further ado, here are some of the positives from the Bruins season that can hopefully shine some light on what is being looked at as one of the darkest times for the Bruins organization in quite some time.
David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner played like studs.
David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner shined bright during a time when the Bruins really needed confidence in offense. It’s a lot to ask for the young guns to pick up the pace of the team, however that’s exactly what Pastrnak and Spooner did with the help of veteran forward Milan Lucic. When David Krejci suffered a month-long injury, Lucic struggled to find his game. Lucic and Krejci have a lot of chemistry and it hurt the Bruins when they were split up. However, the month of March proved that Lucic may have found two players he’s equally as comfortable playing beside: David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner. In March, those three players were the point-leaders for the Bruins.
Brett Connolly looks like a good addition to the squad.
It may be too early to tell, as Brett Connolly had only skated in 5 games for the Bruins – however Connolly looks like a good, depth player that will only benefit the team in the future. Some refer to the 2010 6th overall draft pick that is Connolly as a bust, however with more minutes as well as playing beside players such as Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, things can only get better from here for the 22 year old forward. In addition, Connolly adds the element of speed to the squad. Whether it’s his fast paced game play or his laser-beam of a wrist-shot, Connolly will look to play a bigger role with the Bruins than he did with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Loui Eriksson has finally found his game.
Loui Eriksson will always be looked at as Tyler Seguin’s replacement. As long as he is in Boston, it is an image that he will never be able to escape due to the utmost disparity of Bruins fans in regards to the trade that sent Seguin out of town. Despite that, Eriksson has shown composure in his game recently, and has arguably been one of the Bruins best forwards all year. In the year Eriksson was acquired by the Bruins, he suffered multiple concussions which swayed his game a bit. However this season, Eriksson managed rank 2nd in points for the Bruins with 47. Much like Pastrnak and Spooner, Eriksson was a player who never really lost his game throughout the season. The fact that he was consistent when many of his teammates were not means that he’s not part of the problem, but more so of a solution that anything else.
Tuukka Rask is still a Vezina caliber goaltender.
A lot of times, when a team misses the playoffs, it means that the goaltender had a lackluster season. This is not the case with Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, however. Rask finished the season in 10th place among goaltenders in SV% with .922. He ranked 2nd in the league in saves, and participated in 70 games for the team this season, good for 3rd place among goalies in the league. Like all goaltenders, Rask had his bad moments throughout the season. The Bruins defense gave him no help by allowing players in the neutral zone, yet Rask still managed his own. It’s obvious the Bruins need to make some changes, but the “trade Rask” talk needs to end. Things change as time goes by, but currently, Rask should be looked at as unmovable.
As you can see, there aren’t a whole lot of positives to list. The Bruins Stanley Cup window isn’t closed, but the window is certainly cracked. This team still has the potential in being a threat as long as all of the issues are accounted for.
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