Five items that should be on Bruins’ holiday wish list as 2023 nears originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s been an enjoyable holiday season for Boston Bruins fans.
And what a difference a year makes, right?
December was a low point for the B’s last season. They were losing games, not scoring enough goals and had to take a two-week break because a bunch of players were battling COVID-19.
Canucks’ reported asking price for Bo Horvat revealed; Should Bruins pay it?
Fast forward a year to 2022 and the Bruins are the best team in the NHL. They lead the league with a 25-4-2 record. They are scoring goals at a high clip. The roster is mostly healthy, and new head coach Jim Montgomery has brought new life to the team with a more aggressive and up-tempo offensive style of hockey.
It’s not all perfect for the Bruins, though.
Here are five items that should be on their holiday wish list as the calendar prepares to turn to 2023.
This is the biggest one, right?
It’s a little surprising that so little news has surfaced recently about the Bruins’ contract extension talks with their best offensive player.
Pastrnak is in the final year of his contract and eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. The 26-year-old right wing said in September that he was optimistic something would get done, but we’re now in late December and the two sides still haven’t reached a deal.
The cost to sign Pastrnak is probably higher now than it was a few months ago. He’s having the best season of his career with 21 goals and 22 assists in 31 games. His 43 points rank sixth in the league. Pastrnak also is the first Bruins player with at least 20 goals and 20 assists in the first 30 games of a season since Rick Middleton in 1981-82.
Aside from winning the Stanley Cup, the best thing that can happen for the Bruins between now and July 1 is re-signing Pastrnak to a long-term contract.
2) More 5-on-5 scoring
The Bruins started out red-hot offensively at 5-on-5, ranking fifth in scoring with 46 goals through the first 20 games. But over the last 12 games, the Bruins rank 19th in 5-on-5 scoring with 24 goals. Boston’s power play has been elite over that 12-game span with 14 goals and a 29.7 percent success rate, which rank No. 4 and No. 7, respectively.
Relying too much on the power play is not a recipe for long-term success, so one objective the B’s should have in 2023 is finding more ways to consistently find the back of the net at 5-on-5.
3) Winning the 2023 Winter Classic
There would be no better way for the Bruins to kick off 2023 than beating Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
The league’s renderings of what the iconic venue will look like on Jan. 2 are pretty sweet:
The Bruins own a 2-1 record in Winter Classic games, including a 2-1 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
An emphatic win over the Penguins on a huge stage and in front of a national television audience would send a strong message that the Bruins are the top Stanley Cup contender.
4) A scoring winger
The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 3, but it’s wise for teams to start thinking about potential moves right now. The sooner trades are made, the sooner acquired players can join their new teammates and develop chemistry before the playoffs.
The Bruins are pretty deep at most positions, but another goal scorer on the wings would be a solid upgrade. Nick Foligno has cooled off a bit since his hot start. Craig Smith has one goal in 17 games, was waived recently and hasn’t been fully healthy over the last year. A.J. Greer has been inconsistent as a bottom-six winger.
One more skilled and versatile winger would give the Bruins enough scoring depth to weather four rounds in the playoffs. A lack of scoring depth has been a fatal flaw for the Bruins in just about all of their playoff runs since 2011.
5) Salary cap relief
USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins are right up against the salary cap. In fact, according to CapFriendly, Boston has just $65,118 of cap space entering Thursday.
It’s tough to make trade deadline upgrades when your team is so close to the salary cap. Improving the team’s cap flexibility would be a huge win as the March 3 trade deadline nears.
Two of the best ways to create some much-needed cap space would be to trade right wing Craig Smith ($3.1 million cap hit, expiring contract) and/or defenseman Mike Reilly ($3 million cap hit through 2023-24). Both players already went through waivers this season and weren’t claimed.
The Bruins might have to attach an asset (prospect or draft pick) to get rid of those contracts. It’s not the most ideal situation, but one definitely worth considering if the added cap space could help the B’s acquire an impact player before the trade deadline.
