TOSS UP: Why the Boston Bruins Will / Won’t Make the Stanley Cup Playoffs
It’s Opening Night for the Boston Bruins — and this season feels like a toss up.Host Ian McLaren breaks down both sides of the coin:✅ Why the Bruins can return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs — including a Vesna-level Jeremy Swayman, a healthy blue line led by McAvoy and Lindholm, and Marco Sturm’s renewed defensive structure.🚫 And why they might not — lingering scoring depth issues, a brutal Atlantic Division, and a “grit-over-skill” roster philosophy that could limit offense.
Plus: the team’s new alternate captains, Opening Night preview vs. Washington, and Bruin of the Day: Justin Brazeau lighting it up for Pittsburgh.
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5 Comments
I think we have a realistic chance of sneaking in as a WC best case scenario and be better than the following teams:
Buffalo – Do I really have to explain?
Detroit – Lock it down and take advantage of their defensively inept blueline
Montreal – Again lock it down and take advantage of their defensively inept blueline
Ottawa – Stay out of the box
Tank for McKenna, sure I want them to win, but are you winning the cup or even making the playoffs? I doubt it, so why not just go all in and tank and hope you get the first round pick for the draft lottery. or set it up so you can trade for it.
50% chance of sneaking into a wildcard spot, single digit percent chance of winning a round, negative percent chance of competing for a championship. And if the Bruins get what they want and limp into a wildcard spot just to get dusted and sell five games worth of hotdogs, then Sweeney and Neely will get a 10 year extension and nothing will change. This team has at least a reasonable foundation to turn it around within a few years, but first they need to build a real forward core and they won’t be able to do that by diving through the bargain bin and hoping third liners have a career years. Feels like this take is increasingly unpopular, but I would rather see them tank for a top forward in the draft, than prioritize making the playoffs just to get obliterated and end up picking 19th overall. I agree that this team could surprise many but they still aren’t good enough. And if they aren’t even in the same stratosphere as real cup contenders, then I don’t see why we should treat making the playoffs like our Stanley Cup. That will just prolong what in my opinion would otherwise be a reasonably short turnaround. That turnaround can’t happen until we have a front office that is realistic about what this team is.
Hope you feel better soon!
Hey, I need a job ‼️. Na, I’m a bum, Go Bs!!