Boston Bruins: All Star Break Report

The Boston Bruins currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings boasting a 37-11-5 record.  It was not always going well for Ted Nolan and company. The Boston Bruins opened the season with a 9-9-0 record after the first 18 games played. “Scoring goals was never our problem. Keeping the puck out of our own net seemed to be a tall order.”  In the early going the Bruins had one of the least effective penalty kills in the league.  Brent Seabrook was bring relied upon each night to steady the blueline and was eating up big minutes each night.

Never content with mediocrity, General Manager Ric Flair continued to make changed. Ric Flair moved the hot hand of Matts Zuccarello and defencemen Ryan Stanton for grizzly veteran defencemen Niklas Kronwall.  A month later Ric Flair continues to reinforce the defence core by adding Ryan McDonagh in exchange for Mark Scheifele , Teuvo Teravainen and Vancouvers 2^nd round pick in next years draft. “We paid a hefty price to bring Ryan into our organization. It’s never an easy decision to part with players you drafted and watched develop. We know they will both be great players in the future for the Rangers. Ryan is young and entering his prime, we know he will be a leader for years to come.”

With the two trades, the Bruins  send a strong message to their fan base that they believe they have the talent get to the big dance.  Despite moving some promising blue chip prospects out, the blue print remains the same. Build through the draft.  Shortly after announcing the McDonagh trade the Bruins quietly sent Travis Hamonic and a 2^nd round pick to the NY Islanders in exchange for Ivan Barbashev and a 1^st round pick.  

Since the two trades the Bruins have gone on a tear going 22-2-6 heading into the All Star break with a 31-11-6 record. In Winnipeg there are whispers of the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair quietly becoming the front runner for General Manager of the Year.  If the team’s success continues there will be no denying his impact on the Bruins organization.