The Boston Bruins have officially made it to the midway point in the season, and it is safe to say that it has been nothing less than a bumpy ride thus far. The B’s currently sit in fourth place in the East division and are only a few points away from being on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. Fortunately, due to COVID-19 the Bruins have several games in hand over the teams that surround them in the playoffs, so there is still time for the Bruins to regain their identity as a top team in the East division.
The biggest obstacle the Bruins have had to endure this season has been a plethora of injuries. On the defensive end, the Bruins have been without Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon and Kevan Miller, all of which have played a significant role in the Bruins D corps. The Bruins have been left with fringe NHL defensemen in their place.
Despite the many injuries on the defensive end, it is the offensive end where the problems truly lie. Outside of the top line of the Bruins, we haven’t seen much production at all from any of the other lines. After David Krejci (17 points) and Nick Ritchie (15 points), there is a pretty large dip in production. It also doesn’t help that Krejci has once again had several different wingers this season due to various injuries or just poor play. Jake DeBrusk is typically one of those wingers, but due to injuries and the fact that he has just seven points in 21 games, he has found himself on the trade block as the trade deadline approaches.
With the trade deadline looming on April 12, it is time for the Bruins to begin browsing options that could help the B’s go on a deep playoff run. I have seen several rumors of late saying that the Bruins could be in on a defenseman come the trade deadline. If you ask me, as long as the Bruins defensemen get healthy, they should not need any help on the defensive end. The Bruins need help with scoring, and they need someone who can play on the second line. If the Bruins can’t get any consistent secondary scoring, then they can say goodbye to any championship aspirations they may have had for this year, which may very well be the final year of their championship window.
On a bit of a lighter note, the Bruins will be welcoming back fans to the TD Garden on Thursday, March 25 against the New York Islanders. The TD Garden will be allowing 12 percent capacity, which will equal about 2,000 people in the stands. This should add a bit of a much-needed boost to the Bruins skaters, as having a crowd present at games could help swing momentum in the Bruins favor when playing at home.
Despite the issues the Bruins have had to face this year, they still remain in good position to make a playoff push. The biggest keys to the second half of the season will be to get healthy and to add a top six forward that can score. If the Bruins can get those two things done, they will be in position to compete for the cup this season.