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Boston is currently in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division, good enough for a playoff spot, but not by much. It is becoming ever-clearer that only 3 teams from the Atlantic will get into the playoffs, while it’ll be 5 from the powerhouse Metropolitan. This means that the Bruins will need to either leap a team like Ottawa or hold off Tampa and Florida and Toronto. While Boston is currently a playoff team, its been a very frustrating season. Multiple early deficits, 1 win from a backup goalie, and the inability to put the puck in the net. They need some sort of shakeup in terms of a trade, but which of three areas should they address.
Top 4 Defenseman:
Before the season, a first-pair d-man was the #1 need. However, the play of Brandon Carlo has been a welcome surprise. The Bruins also have a deep system of defensive prospects like Lauzon and Zboril. Now I'd say they need a second-pair, two-way defenseman. Someone like Fowler or Shattenkirk could provide a stable presence on the blue line while also fixing the scoring problems.
A Backup Goalie:
Tuukka cannot play every game for the rest of the season. When he does need a break, Khudobin just isn’t cutting it. One win as a backup isn’t very good at the halfway point. This leaves Boston with two options. A) just sit Rask against the elite teams like Columbus and Washington where they know they’ll probably lose anyways. Or B) FIND A NEW BACKUP!!!!!!!!! This probably doesn’t warrant a trade just yet, seeing as they have Zane lighting it up down with the Baby Bruins. Give him a shot first.
A Top-6 Scoring Winger:
This is now the official top need for Boston. Their scoring woes haven’t gotten better in the week since Pastrnak and Vatrano returned. Boston ironically leads the league in puck possession but is near the bottom in goals, making scoring their official problem. Pastrnak can’t continue to be the sole provider on offense. Maybe they go for someone like Duclair or Strome, or they could go big and look to Colorado for Duchene or Landeskog.
Maybe they try this:
Spooner, Subban, one of the d-prospcts, a pick or two
For
Duchene
That may be a pipe dream but hope is all Bruins fans have at this point.
