If Boston loses to Florida, SHOULD they blow it up?

[24 others]

Note the question, not "WILL" they blow it up, which is a very different question, but should they? They obviously got very close to winning the whole thing in 2019 (lost in Game 7 at home as a favorite to St. Louis)

Since then:

2019-20: Lost second round to Lightning (4-1)
2020-21: Lost second round to Islanders (4-2)
2021-22: Lost first round to Hurricanes (4-3)
2022-23: Lost first round to Panthers (4-3)

Notable retirements: Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Tuuka Rask, Patrice Bergeron

Brad Marchand turns 36 years old tomorrow (May 11th).

Right now the series with Florida is FAR from over. Obviously if they come back, they should not do anything from a blow it up standpoint.. However, if Florida ultimately does prevail, is the writing on the wall that Boston's sustained period of contention is over? In which case, should they make an attempt to salvage what they can from an asset perspective, or keep riding it out as far as it'll go?

What? The team that lost their 1C, their 2C, their 2 top-6 wingers, and a top-4 D in the offseason and signed a bunch of traffic cones to replace them? The team that wasn't expected to be anywhere close to a 2nd round before this season, but ended up overachieving heavily? You want to blow them up now that they will finally have the cap space to sign some decent players?

I don't know, man. Let me guess, you are not a hockey GM, are you?

 

[BB79]

I think at one point or another we have all fantasized about blowing florida up but seems a bit extreme over hockey right?

....then come to the realization that having to live there is worse punishment..and I speak from experience

 

[PainForShane]

This thread is hilarious

 

[Thirty Seven]

They've exceeded a lot of expectations so no

 

[BLNY]

There's not a lot to blow up. That's really the problem.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Blow it up how?. Really not much to blow up. Pasta, McAvoy, Swayman and a mix of young guys like Lauko, Brazeau and Lohrei aren't going anywhere. The team is more of a mix of the core and youth and a rag tag bunch of has-beens who had nowhere else to play. Maroon, Heinen, Shattenkirk, Heinen JVR, all see ya later. Bring in a real #1 C, retool around the core, trade Ullmark and we're good. No blowing it up necessary.

Bruins have plenty of cap space to add to a 100+ point team this summer. Ullmark being moved will help Sweeney move up in this summers draft as well.

Boston will have Poitras, Brazeau and Lohrei for a full year. Adding a #1 center will keep the Bruins a very good hockey club.

 

[BMOK33]

They were gonna blow it up after they lost to NYI in 2021, not sure why they did not but it may have been the correct move to do so

 

[Byron Bitz]

What's to blow up?

Trade Marchand, Pastrnak, Swayman or McAvoy... nope.

This was supposed to be a transition year and it is.

Bunch of cap space next year, good young core developing, they're killing the retool.

Killing it, lost in the first round last year and were one shot in ot away from losing in the first round again to the worst playoff team of the past decade

 

[TheGoldenJet]

No, next question.

 

[Tralfamadore]

No. They're still able to ice a good product to make the fans spend. They aren't winning a cup anytime soon though.

 

[D Wakaluk]

C'mon now.

On HFBoards teams are either; "- this team good, urk", or "blow it up".

Boston seems to know where its going all the freaking time and no one expected them to be contenders this year

 

[Over the volcano]

Killing it, lost in the first round last year and were one shot in ot away from losing in the first round again to the worst playoff team of the past decade

They've already made it further in this transition year with scraps and bubble gum glue they did last year with an all time NHL historic roster.

Next year they'll carry, what, 3 guys who are 30 or older (Marchand, Coyle, Lindholm).

That's a pretty damn good retool in my book, but to each their own.

 

[HANK30]

Boston is overrated. There is a lot of depth on the 2nd and 3rd lines but not much at the top besides Pastrnak.

 

[Hockeyholic]

They need legit top two centers, a legit #2 D, and a winger to compliment Pastrnak. At minimum.

They have some good pieces. Nothing great.

They might squeak into the playoffs consistently. But they are no longer elite.

They also need guys like McAvoy & Pastrnak to start playing up to their full capabilities in the postseason.

 

[CheerstoBeers]

Bruins have plenty of cap space to add to a 100+ point team this summer. Ullmark being moved will help Sweeney move up in this summers draft as well.

Boston will have Poitras, Brazeau and Lohrei for a full year. Adding a #1 center will keep the Bruins a very good hockey club.

I agree. They have a great core and group of young players. Retool, drop the dead weight and add some talent up front including a #1 center and we'll have a better team next year

 

[elmaco]

Trade everyone and rebuild

 

[Number8]

Their only real play is to trade Ullmark for that sort of of thing.. but goalie trade market is notoriously not great. Everyone knows you are trading from a place of relative weakness because having two goaltenders is just excessive.

So why even ask the question? You, the OP, ask if they should blow it up.

Then a couple of posts later you say the above.

 

[eco's bones]

Marchand's started to decline and too many passengers at forward. They got guys who can chip in but only one major scoring threat in Pastrnak. Center depth--I look at Coyle as an okay 2C and an excellent 3C. Zacha has talent but he needs to be carried by his wingers or he won't produce. DeBrusk is one of their better forwards but he goes hot and cold.

They need to at least start retooling seriously if not going all out rebuild. They need to start holding onto top draft picks because if they don't the fall is going to be really really hard and it's probably going to happen soon. Those top picks when they start hanging onto them are going to take a bit of time too before they're ready. It's a process.

 

[KingsHockey24]

On the contrary, they don't have any game breakers... Conn Smythe type of performers.

True.

They need PLD.

 

[PB37]

Look if you don't want to participate in the discussion, that is fine. I'm not sure why you are just throwing around insults instead of engaging substantively.

"Good young core" is a phrase that has meaning. Dissecting that down, to "good", "young" and "core" at least from my perspective reveals that the players Boston has do not fit that criteria. I would say they have a good prime-aged core, and some respectably solid "young-ish" depth pieces. If you disagree with that statement, please feel free to do so, but throwing out phrases that were never stated accomplishments nothing.

You're arguing semantics. To me and many others, anyone in their mid 20's is young.

Killing it, lost in the first round last year and were one shot in ot away from losing in the first round again to the worst playoff team of the past decade

They were one shot away from advancing to the 1st round last year too.

 

[wintersej]

Boston is overrated. There is a lot of depth on the 2nd and 3rd lines but not much at the top besides Pastrnak.

I mean Boston fans would agree. The point is the the Bruins are freeing up the 4.5m Bergeron/Krejci overages, shedding 7m off the D group in Gryz and Forbort who are the 6th and 8th D right now, Ullmark another 5m, plus the cap going up another 4.5. They are going to have the funds to address the issues. Will there be something to spend it on? A valid question. But blowing it up would be dumb.

True.

They need PLD.

I mean you are joking, but I could see it very much. PLD obviously has issues with consistent effort. But LA also has completely put him in a bad spot to succeed between the 1-3-1 and asking him to be the play driver when that isn’t his game. Can the Bruins culture of try hards run off? They certainly would put him in a better situation to succeed.

 

[Stephen]

There's not a lot to blow up. That's really the problem.

Boston looks like a team in transition to their next stage anyway, I'm not sure what they'd be blowing up...

 

[Icarium]

Blow up what exactly? With that center depth, making the second round is downright miraculous, everything after that is gravy.

 

[ijuka]

... Blow what up? Look at that roster. They are overachieving.

Their top 2 centers just retired.

Considering their season a disappointment would be borderline lunacy.

 

[PettersonHughes]

They've turned Coyle and Zacha into 60 point centers, DeBrusk is a 40 point guy, Carlo is a top-4 D, and the core is locked up with term... unless they can replace Jake with someone like Lysell and Grzyelck/ Forbort with depth D and use the cap space to sign a top C somehow, and find another goalie of Swayman's calibre at his price tag, it'll be tough to let these complementary pieces go without the core wanting to leave.