*Photo from Sportsnet*
For the Boston Bruins, it so far has been an offseason of acquisitions, as they continue to chase after the Stanley cup that has eluded them so far in this window, including a tough game 7 loss in the cup finals to the St.Louis Blues back in 2018-2019. This past season, the Bruins finished in 3rd place in the MassMutual East Division, with a 33-16-7 record, losing in the second round of the playoffs to the New York Islanders.
Before I get to the arrivals, the departures are a storyline. First up was veteran right shot D Kevan Miller, who announced his retirement after 7 NHL seasons due to nagging knee injuries, which has led to tons of time missed, particularly in the last few seasons. Next up was backup goalie Jaroslav Halak, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks.
Now, some bigger names. 4th line LW/C Sean Kuraly left in free agency to sign with his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets on a 4 year deal, after spending his first 5 seasons in the NHL with the Bruins. Tuukka Rask, the longtime number one goalie, is a UFA and said it would be re-sign or retirement, but he just underwent surgery on his hip, and will be out until January 2022 at the earliest, if he returns. The big one is David Krejci, who, as a UFA, left the Bruins to play in his home country, the Czech Republic.
Moving on to the additions, there were some questions facing the Bruins at defense. They only made one move to try and fix it, signing left shot D Derek Forbort for 3 seasons. Then, they went chasing at some middle and bottom six forward depth, signing LW/C Erik Haula, LW/RW/C Nick Foligno, and C Tomas Nosek, all for relatively low costs.
Then came goalie. With their top two goalies off to Vancouver and surgery, the Bruins needed a true number one to step in, to partner with the young netminder Jeremy Swayman. They went to the Buffalo Sabres, signing goalie Linus Ullmark to a 4 year, $20 million deal in free agency. It's a deal fit for a number one, which Ullmark clearly is.
For the Bruins, it's another year of Stanley cup contention. The defense is better, but the depth in case of injury is still a crowd of bodies with no clear favorite to take heavy minutes. The forward depth has improved exponentially, as the middle six looks more potent than it did last year, especially by re-signing Taylor Hall. Goalie looks solid too, as Ullmark and Swayman look to be a good tandem, although a Ullmark and Rask battle for starting duties in the playoffs will be fun, but that's all dependent on whether Rask comes back.
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