The Boston Bruins have not been the juggernaut this season that they were a year ago when they set NHL records for points and wins. This year's team has shown a particular weakness in games that go to overtime and they have also had problems holding on to leads in the third period.
Despite these weaknesses, the Bruins are one point behind the Florida Panthers for the NHL's regular-season lead. They have 89 points, the same as the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference.
Bruins went all-in a year ago
While the Bruins have had some struggles, they are still one of the elite teams in the NHL and once the playoffs get underway, they should have a good opportunity to assert themselves, something that did not happen a year ago when they were favored to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2011.
Prior to last year's playoffs, the Bruins made a series of moves to improve their team. They brought in Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway, sacrificing their future to try to win the Stanley Cup.
While all of those acquisitions made contributions in the final weeks of the regular season, they did not help in an important way in the playoffs. Shockingly, the Bruins lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers, falling in overtime of the seventh game.
The Bruins were not expected to do much at the trade deadline this season, but there was some talk that a forward who could put the puck in the net and a big-bodied, left-shooting defenseman would be on Don Sweeney's wish list.
That did not happen, as the Bruins made two moves. They acquired veteran forward Patrick Maroon from the Minnesota Wild and right-handed defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It may be a mistake that Sweeney did not bring in a dependable goal scorer or a bigger-name defenseman, but it would have been a bigger mistake to trade top prospects or future draft picks.
Maroon brings toughness to the Bruins
The Boston Bruins have long have an identity of being a tough, physical and skilled team. This goes back to the Big, Bad Bruins era that began when Bobby Orr joined the team in 1966 and the Bruins traded for Phil Esposito. It continued during the Lunch Pail A.C. era under Don Cherry, and it has remained that way for decades.
When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and when they got to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013, the toughness factor was huge. However, when they returned to the Finals in 2019 against the St. Louis Blues, they may not have been the more physical team.
The Blues had an edge to their game, and they got much of it from the presence of Maroon. He helped them win the Stanley Cup, and then he played a role for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won back-to-back Stanley Cups with his physical play.
The Bruins were not the more physical team in their loss to the Panthers last year, and Maroon should be able to help them in that area. He has been out since February after undergoing back surgery, but he is expected to be back in the lineup shortly.
If he can see action in the final weeks of the regular season, he could be approaching top shape for the playoffs.
If Maroon and Trent Frederic can give the Bruins more physical play, it could make it easier for superstars David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand to show off their offensive skills. Maroon is 6-3 and 234 pounds.
Sweeney addressed a need in acquiring Maroon by sending minor league forward Luke Toporowski and a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick to Minnesota.
Peeke bring size to the Bruins blue line
Peeke is not a game-changing player, but he is a physical, stay-at-home defenseman who will block shots and deliver hits.
He is 6-3 and 214 pounds and he is signed through the 2025-26 season.
In order to make both deals, the Bruins placed defenseman Derek Forbort on long-term injured reserve. Forbort's $3 million salary is now off the books, and the Bruins remain cap compliant. Maroon is earning $1 million this season, while Peeke is under contract for $2.75 million.
The Bruins sent defenseman Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick to Columbus for Peeke.
Ullmark stays with Bruins
As the deadline approached, there was quite a bit of talk that the Bruins were interested in moving goalie Linus Ullmark in an effort to bolster their scoring or blue line.
However, while there were discussions with teams about the goaltender, Ullmark remains with the Bruins.
The greatest strength of the team going into the season was the ability of Jeremy Swayman and Ullmark to dominate in the net. Those two remain intact, and if the Bruins are going to be successful in the postseason, their strength in net will play a key role.
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