The Boston Bruins haven’t been afraid to take dangers throughout Don Sweeney’s 10-year profession as normal supervisor.
Sweeney has proven little hesitation to make massive offers on the commerce deadline, typically transport out first- and second-round draft picks for short-term veteran assist. He additionally hasn’t been afraid to spend lots of money in free agency. He dished out giant contracts to gamers resembling David Backes, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, amongst others.
When the Bruins got to the 2025 trade deadline with no hopes of extending their playoff look streak, Sweeney made the difficult but wise decision to maneuver a number of longtime Bruins veterans — including captain Brad Marchand — for future belongings like draft picks and prospects.
And but, Sweeney’s willingness to be daring in free company and the commerce market hasn’t at all times translated into the NHL Draft for a lot of his time in Boston. The Bruins too typically have appeared for the protected choose, resembling two-way gamers with a excessive hockey IQ. Prospects with a excessive flooring however not the kind of ceiling typically related to elite gamers.
Bruins followers witnessed a change of their staff’s method to the draft during the last two days in Los Angeles. The Bruins entered the 2025 NHL Draft with 4 picks within the high 70, together with the No. 7 general choice — their highest since 2011.
And as a substitute of going the protected route, the Bruins swung for the fences on gamers with the potential to be top-tier gamers.
It’s going to take just a few years to find out whether or not the technique labored, however given the present state of the group and its extreme lack of elite expertise, it was a welcome (and wanted) shift.
“I feel having extra picks, and having some larger picks, allowed us to most likely take a look at some gamers with a bit extra offensive capability and upside that generally within the areas the place we tended to be selecting we did not have a few of these gamers obtainable,” Bruins director of beginner scouting Ryan Nadeau told reporters Saturday.
“Or the gamers that had been — there’s quite a lot of threat related generally with that participant. Whether or not they’re undersized, or whether or not they’re bodily underdeveloped or whether or not there’s only a actual main lack of element of their recreation, the place there’s different gamers sitting there on the similar spot the place you actually admire their consideration to element, their heaviness, their hardness.
“We did not shrink back from a few of that, I simply suppose we ended up in a spot this 12 months the place we may actually take some swings at some form of larger upside offensive gamers that perhaps up to now we’ve not had as many swings on that type of participant.”
Should you take a look at the scouting studies of the seven gamers the Bruins drafted this weekend, the phrases “bodily,” “defensive-minded,” and “grit” will not be entrance and heart. That does not imply these gamers cannot defend or haven’t got two-way ability units. However the purpose why these gamers had been coveted was their offensive capability.
Look at Boston’s first-round pick: Boston School heart James Hagens. He’s an elite playmaker and skater who has the power to step up in clutch moments. He was a point-per-game participant as an 18-year-old first-line heart on a nationwide title contender. Hagens has the potential to be a No. 1 heart sometime. The final Bruins heart to tally 100-plus factors in a season was Joe Thornton 22 years in the past. Hagens may finish that drought.
A number of of the very best facilities within the 2025 class had been obtainable to the B’s at No. 7. They may have drafted Jake O’Brien. He is higher defensively than Hagens. Roger McQueen was obtainable, too. He is 6-foot-6 and performs an influence forward-type of recreation. As a substitute, the Bruins selected the offensive upside of Hagens.
Second-round choose William Moore possesses quite a lot of offensive ability, too, and he is versatile sufficient to play heart or wing. Many consultants had him rated as a top-35 participant within the draft, and the B’s had been in a position to get him at No. 51 general. Boston’s different second-round choose — Swedish defenseman Liam Pettersson — is an excellent puck-mover, his playmaking capability creates scoring possibilities for teammates, and he is able to effortlessly skating his method out of bother. His defensive recreation wants quite a lot of work. However like a lot of Boston’s picks this weekend, he has excessive upside offensively.
Third-round choose Cooper Simpson scored 49 targets in 31 video games final season — essentially the most of any Minnesota highschool participant. He was in a position to carry that success into the USHL in opposition to higher competitors. Simpson turned 18 this previous February, so he is positively a uncooked expertise, however his capability to attain targets is kind of spectacular. He’ll play on the College of North Dakota this fall.
Even within the later rounds, the Bruins saved drafting gamers with excessive ceilings.
The Bruins struggled to attain final season. They ranked twenty first in targets scored, twenty ninth in power-play share, thirty first in high-danger possibilities and twenty ninth in pictures on internet at even power. Solely two gamers — David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie — scored greater than 17 targets.
And with none elite ahead prospects within the pipeline previous to this weekend, the Bruins needed to swap up their draft philosophy.
“We had been searching for the very best ranges of ability that we may discover and the (highest) compete degree we may discover,” Sweeney told reporters Saturday at a press convention.
The Bruins nonetheless have loads of weaknesses to deal with over the following week with free company set to start Tuesday at 12 p.m. ET. They desperately want depth on the proper aspect of the blue line. One other top-six ahead is required. They solely have 5 forwards below contract proper now. A commerce or two may be wanted to bolster depth at key positions.
“We’ve explored buying and selling in and across the draft and bringing gamers in,” Sweeney informed reporters Saturday. “We had a few these issues we checked out. Possibly they arrive to bear over the following day or in order properly. And we’ll foray into free company if we haven’t crammed these holes through commerce.”
Sweeney did properly on the commerce deadline. He took sensible, calculated dangers within the draft. However the job is not completed. He nonetheless has extra hurdles to beat to get the Bruins again within the combine for the Stanley Cup.
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