Over the past few months, not much has gone right for the Boston Bruins. After their historic 2022-23 regular season campaign, the Bruins were bounced in the first-round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers. They followed that up by losing a handful of key pieces to their team early in the offseason, such as Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. And, on Tuesday morning, the final dagger was landed in the form of Patrice Bergeron's retirement.
It had been clear that Bergeron, who recently turned 38, had been approaching the end of his career for quite some time, but the hope was that he would suit up for one more season in an effort to keep Boston a true Stanley Cup contender. Instead, after the Bruins latest crushing playoff loss, Bergeron had decided that enough was enough.
It's a shame that the Bruins couldn't win a second championship during the Bergeron era, but he is still a champion from the 2011 season, and has easily put together a Hall of Fame career. There's no doubt that losing Bergeron hurts the Bruins, but for the first time in years, they have a chance to properly build their roster back up.
Why Patrice Bergeron's retirement could actually benefit the Bruins
This wasn't the first offseason where Bergeron's potential retirement was a dark cloud hovering around the Bruins, and after a few seasons of giving it one more go, Bergeron finally opted to call it a career. Enduring the painful loss Boston just suffered is a tough way to go out, but as previously mentioned, that shouldn't exactly be a black mark on Bergeron's legacy.
The Bruins missed a pair of great opportunities to get Bergeron a second championship in 2013 and 2019, and over the past four seasons, the front office had done everything possible to get back in the Final. Unfortunately, that has resulted in four disjointed postseason runs in which Boston was simply outplayed every single time. Despite the team's best efforts, they weren't built to win in the playoffs.
Throwing everything at the wall in hopes that something would stick almost paid off last season, and in all honesty, it probably should have. The Bruins did everything they could to build a Stanley Cup contender, but things didn't go as planned in the playoffs, and now they are set to pay the price of coming up empty-handed in that quest.
Boston's front office has been operating under the assumption that Bergeron would be retiring for some time now, and their offseason actions have shown that for the past few weeks. For the first time in a few years, the Bruins can properly focus on rebuilding their squad now that Bergeron is gone and constructing their next Cup contender.
It may seem like things are dire given how the playoffs just turned out, but the Bruins aren't in as bad of a spot as they are made out to be. Next season will probably be a grind, but they are now set to have tons of cap space next offseason, which could be helpful considering how good that free agent class is looking like it could be.
Bergeron was still a top-tier player of course, but it's not as if the Bruins are completely devoid of talent without him. David Pastrnak is one of the best goal-scorers in the league, and Brad Marchand is still sticking around for another few seasons it seems. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are two stud defenders locked up on long-term deals, and Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman (assuming he eventually gets re-signed) are one of the top goalie duos in the league.
Adding some more young players with high ceilings and draft picks will be crucial, but the Bruins already have the pieces for their next championship team in place. They have worked hard to restock some of their lost depth in free agency by bringing in cheaper veterans, and while nobody is expecting much from the 2023-24 team, they have an opportunity to make some big moves come next offseason if everything goes their way.
The Bruins likely could have competed for a Stanley Cup again next season had Bergeron returned, and while it hurts to watch those chances slip away, it could be better for the team in the long run. Losing a legend like Patrice Bergeron is never easy, but the Bruins have a chance to build their team in a new way moving forward, and that could be just what they need in order to win a Stanley Cup in the future.