During the 2022-2023 season, the Boston Bruins were the team to beat. Breaking NHL records left and right, home and away winning streaks and players being honored at several award ceremonies, many thought they would be taking home the Stanley Cup. However, ever since their first round playoff exit that year, the team has been on a downward spiral.
Now, only six active Bruins remain from that historic team. The rest have retired or have been traded away for what some may argue, nothing in return.
In my opinion, the downfall started when former captain Patrice Bergeron hung up his skates at the end of the 2022-2023 season and his former teammate Brad Marchand took on the captaincy.
The next big blow to the team was at end of the 2023-2024 season when goaltender Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman were the ultimate duo with Ullmark averaging a .938% save percentage and Swayman with .920%. The Bruins were also at risk of losing Swayman during the same offseason as general manager Don Sweeney and Swayman failed to reach a contract agreement, until a few weeks into the start of the 2024-2025 season.
Since the end of the 2023 season, Bruins fans have lost other beloved members with honorable mentions including Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzeleyk, but the most shocking trade came just last week when the Bruins sent their captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers. In return, Boston got a 2027 conditional second-round draft pick. To say fans were shocked was an understatement, with many of them taking to X to express their frustration.
Over 1,000 fans agreed with one fan’s claim on X that the Bruins organization failed their captain who essentially, has been with them since the start. Marchand played all 16 seasons of his career with the Bruins and was on one of the most impactful lines in hockey, alongside fellow teammates Bergeron and David Pastrnak.
To make matters worse for Bruins fans, they also lost Massachusetts native Charlie Coyle to the Colorado Avalanche, 6-foot 5 defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers.
Now, only six players remain from the monumental 2022-2023 season team; Pastrnak, Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Pavel Zacha and reacquired Jakub Lauko.
How does a franchise that had a near perfect 2022-2023 season and 2019 Stanley Cup Finals performance essentially lose the people that got them there?
The Bruins have a history of giving up draft picks for short term players that only last a season or two. Dmitry Orlov and Hathaway were sent to Boston from the Washington Capitals where Boston sent over 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick. Both Orlov and Hathway were gone from Boston in the offseason.
This is a common thread from Boston’s general manager who has faced his share of backlash in recent years.
“It starts to take its toll,” said Sweeney to NHL.com “And you have to have a little bit of step-back approach at times. Did we come in this morning knowing we were making every one of these moves? No. But we were prepared if the things that we would like presented. Regardless, that’s a difficult thing. But the message is clearly not about, we didn’t burn it down.”
While the Bruins franchise may not be “burned down” it certainly is not in a strong place, and it has not been for many years. It leaves the question as to the toll all of these trades have on current players.
McAvoy took to his Instagram story days after the trades were announced, posting individual pictures with Marchand, Coyle, Carlo and Frederic, clearly expressing his sadness surrounding the news. Pastrnak spoke to the media after the news broke stating, “It’s been very tough, emotional, and sad. Personally, I lost three very close friends and it’s a very tough pill to swallow. We not only lost big leaders on this team, but great human beings, guys with families that I was really close to and I’ve been here since Day 1 with them.”
So, what now, you may ask? Marchand is currently out 3-4 weeks with an injury and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year. Will he try and make his return to Boston or has this move shown him that he might be better off somewhere else?
The city of Boston took a huge hit this past week and is left wondering what’s to come. As of now, Boston currently does not hold a spot in the playoffs and if they missed it, it would be the first time since the 2015-2016 season. This offseason will be a key one for Boston, as they will be in search of long-term players and hopeful draft picks that can contribute to Boston’s legacy.