The Boston Bruins haven't had a first-round draft selection since they took Fabian Lysell with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. They did well in 2022, taking Matthew Poitras 54th overall, a valuable playmaking center that already debuted with the team this season unexpectedly. However, Don Sweeney and Cam Neely knew they needed more prospects in the pipeline and set out to acquire a first-round pick for Linus Ullmark. Rumors circulated that they were in talks with the Ottawa Senators, which gave fans hope that they'd land the seventh-overall pick in this year's draft for the former Vezina Trophy winner.
It wasn't in the cards, as the Bruins only managed to acquire the 25th overall pick, Joonas Korpisalo, and Mark Kastelic for their goaltender. The Bruins didn't need Ullmark anymore after the emergence of Jeremy Swayman, but the trade return was underwhelming nonetheless. Sweeney and Neely must ensure this first-round pick is the right call, as it could make a poor return even worse.
The Bruins have a good track record of late first-round picks over the last ten years, as Fabian Lysell went 21st overall in 2021 and is currently their top prospect. They also took John Beecher 30th overall in 2019, who developed into their premier faceoff man this postseason and a lock to be a valuable bottom-six player, at minimum, for the rest of his career. Their grandest victory came in 2014 with this identical spot at No. 25, when they took one of the best goalscorers of his generation, David Pastrnak.
The fans must trust that Don Sweeney and Cam Neely will make the correct decision again. However, let's look at three players who the Bruins must avoid in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Dean Letourneau will be too long of a wait
Dean Letourneau has been gaining steam as a selection toward the end of the first round. He is a gigantic center, measuring 6-foot-7 and 214 lbs at 18 years old. He is the type of player that the Bruins front office loves. The Ontario native planned to go to the USHL next season before attending Boston College, but the departure of Will Smith offered him a spot to go a year early. Letourneau will now be in the Bruins' backyard, where they already have two prospects playing in the Eagles' forward group.
Letourneau also solves the Bruins' dilemma of having a lack of center depth after the departures of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. The Bruins are hurting down the middle of the ice, and a center will likely be their target with this pick. The problem is that the Bruins are still a contending team, and Letourneau does nothing for their goal of still competing for the Stanley Cup. Letourneau didn't feel prepared to jump to the NCAA next season, which feels like a bad omen for his chances of playing in the NHL soon.
The Prep School route is also a different animal for player development. While the rest of the first-rounders played in some of the best junior, college, and pro leagues, Letourneau tallied 127 points in 56 games against high school kids. The numbers are great, but there's no guarantee he will be good against older players.
Tage Thompson is Letourneau's comparable, which is fine, except it may not give good odds when only one player took the same route as Letourneau and became a star. It also took Thompson six years after his draft to become a near-point-per-game player.
Is Jett Luchanko just Matthew Poitras 2.0?
The Bruins look like they got a steal when they took Matthew Poitras in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 5-foot-11 center from the Guelph Storm had 29 assists in his draft year, far less than Luchanko's 54 assists this past season. However, Poitras then tallied 79 the following season. Luchanko is also a 5-foot-11 right-handed shooting center from the Guelph Storm. It sounds good to have two Matthew Poitras on your team, in theory, but there is also too much of a good thing.
The Bruins would severely limit their roster flexibility if they had two identical centers down the middle of the lineup in a couple of years.
Cole Beaudoin doesn't address a need
Cole Beaudoin is another center sitting around the Bruins' first-round pick range. He is an above-average two-way center that leans more toward the defensive side of the puck. The Bruins would sell that he's a left-handed version of Bergeron, but living up to those expectations isn't easy, and it's doubtful that he does.
The Bruins don't need to search for a player that grows into a two-way center. They need a player who can contribute soon and put the puck in the net. The Bruins have plenty of two-way centers in Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic, and Johnny Beecher. It's time for the Bruins to find a player to help David Pastrnak when the going gets tough in the postseason, and they need to get them with the 25th overall pick in the NHL Draft.
Follow Us
Subscribe