The Stanley Cup Playoffs are nearly over. The Florida Panthers have the opportunity to win their first-ever Stanley Cup on Tuesday night when the greatest trophy in sports is expected to be present in the building. For the other thirty teams, though, the offseason work has already started as they start to organise their summertime strategies.
The NHL Draft is scheduled for June 28 and takes place just before free agency, which begins on July 1. To improve their teams, some teams are willing to deal their draft picks, and some important players may be traded. The goalkeeper Linus Ullmark is the Boston Bruins’ greatest trade chip. It’s unclear when Ullmark will return, but the Bruins need to get better in one area.
The Aspect That Needs Work
Scoring goals, scoring goals, and scoring goals still. If the Bruins could do one thing better, it would be to score more goals. That’s not to suggest they were completely lacking in that regard. They scored 263 goals as a club to place 13th in the 2023–24 regular season. They also witnessed the career seasons of players like Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle, and Morgan Geekie. Seeing those guys take on larger roles and develop into significant depth players was incredible. But during the postseason, the goal scoring dried up and swung the other way.
Brad Marchand had a scorching start to the postseason but was scoreless the rest of the way. Coyle and Zacha combined for two goals in the tournament. At crucial junctures, the influential depth that was visible during the regular season was interrupted. General manager Don Sweeney hinted to it at the end of the season in his farewell interview, saying,
“That we weren’t able to finish in quality chances, and in some cases, guys that usually do finish in quality situations of that nature, reared its head at the most inopportune time,” Sweeney stated.
The Bruins have ways to increase their scoring this offseason. Prominent athletes including Steven Stamkos, Sam Reinhart, and Jake Guentzel are part of the free agency class. Even though Sweeney needs to spend in free agency, he may look to the trade market. Nikolaj Ehlers is the player the Bruins should be watching and trying to get.
How the Bruins Gain from Ehlers
Ehlers could immediately improve productivity by playing on the top two lines. There would be a dynamic forward in the lineup, either with Zacha or Coyle. The Bruins are searching for certain pieces, and Ehlers is the ideal candidate. While Sweeney mentioned the Bruins’ need for an additional goal scorer, Cam Neely also mentioned a different factor.
“This is a quick game,” Neely remarked. We’re not moving as quickly as we’d like to. A portion of that was related to our attempts to complete the goals we set for ourselves over the previous offseason. Don and our professional staff, in my opinion, did a fantastic job last season in assembling a team that was competitive.
Ehlers is a great fit for the Bruins’ goal of increasing their speed because he is a smooth skater who creates opportunities with his speed. Additionally, he adds scoring to the squad and might score more if given a bigger role. With 61 points and 25 goals this season, he would have tied for third place on the Bruins.
He would be difficult to acquire, but he is the ideal fit.
Ideal Fit, But At What Price?
Ehlers would undoubtedly be a fantastic addition to the Bruins. Brad Marchand is growing older, thus it is necessary for them to make future plans. Even though Marchand is still scoring a lot of points (67 in the 2023–24 campaign), he will eventually hang up his skates.
With one season remaining on his deal, Ehlers is subject to a $6 million salary cap charge per season. He has an amended no-movement clause as well. Since the Bruins don’t have a draft pick until the fourth round, it would be difficult to pull off the trade.
They might use a portion of those assets to purchase Ehlers if they do receive payment for Ullmark.
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