The Boston Bruins season was officially over after a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of the first round on May 14. Now, the off-season begins for them and a lot of questions will be answered.
Round 1 Recap
The Bruins faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston came into the series losing all three of the regular season games versus the Canes. The Canes won games 1, 2, 5, and 7 in Raleigh and then lost games 3, 4, and 6 in Boston. The Canes were without their starting goaltender Frederick Andersen for the entire series, leaving Antti Raanta to star as a result. This was the first time he has started in the playoffs. In Game 2, Raanta was injured as a result of a collision with Bruins’ forward David Pastrňák and was sidelined for Game 3. The Bruins were without Hampus Lindholm for games 3, 4, and 5 due to an injury and Charlie McAvoy for game 4 due to COVID protocol.
What’s Next for the Bruins?
The Bruins overcame adversity against the Canes and pushed them to Game 7. This roster has what it takes to make it with a few pieces needed. The Bruins have just under two million in cap space for the 2022-23 season but could move out cap space during the off-season. The acquisition of Hampus Lindholm before the 2022 Trade Deadline moved one of the Bruins’ left-shot defensemen out of the lineup. With the likely return of Jakub Zboril next season it will be a battle for the Left Defense slots. The Bruins could move one or more of Mike Reilly, Derek Forbort, or Matt Grzelyck as a result. They will also likely move or buy out the contract of forward Nick Foligno and Chris Wagner.
Bergeron’s Future
The biggest question facing the Bruins this off-season has to be what is forward Patrice Bergeron going to do, will he retire? Will he resign? Will he go somewhere else? Bergeron holds all the cards right now as to what the Bruins’ management has to do this off-season. If Bergeron does return it lessens the need for a center. If Bergeron does leave the main focus turns to a center.
What do the Bruins Need?
The biggest issue facing the Bruins has been secondary scoring, at times it’s nonexistent, especially when it’s needed most. The Bruins will likely have a variety of options to look at this off-season. Another issue plaguing the Bruins has been the secondary center position, Erik Haula has done well at the second line center position with wingers Taylor Hall and David Pastrňák. The Bruins could also look into bringing in a veteran third-string goalie and another right-shot defenseman.
Don Sweeney’s Future
Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney is currently on an expiring contract. Bruins President Cam Neely has made it clear that the team would like to retain Sweeney. When Sweeney was asked about it he said he expected it to be done in short order. Sweeney’s tenure with the Bruins has been alright, it hasn’t been great but it hasn’t been as terrible as some fans want to make it to be.
Neely says plan is to extend Don Sweeney.
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) May 19, 2022
Bruce Cassidy’s Future
The Boston Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy shouldn’t be losing any sleep worrying about his job safety. Cassidy’s job is pretty safe as a result of where he’s kept the team and how consistently good he has been behind the bench. The only way I see Cassidy being gone is if the players want him gone.
Neely on bringing Cassidy back: “I think we have to look at changing how we do some things. I think Bruce is a fantastic coach, but I do think we need to make some changes with how we coach.”
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) May 19, 2022
My name is Joe Moore, I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
