BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins are not where they want to be, barely hanging onto a playoff spot and struggling to find its footing this late in the season. The team has won two straight, but has lost seven of its last 10 games.
Life was supposed to be much better on Causeway Street after an offseason spending spree brought in center Elias Lindholm and burly defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and goaltender Jeremy Swayman eventually signed his big-money contract. But the team's offensive struggles led to Jim Montgomery's firing in November, and the Bruins are clinging to a Wild Card spot at 22-19-5 through 46 games.
The roster has underachieved, but management remains confident that the Bruins will make a run to the playoffs for the ninth straight season. Ownership is confident that management will do what it needs to in order to assure those postseason games in Boston.
But unlike years past, that spot in the NHL postseason is no guarantee for the Bruins. It has team president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney considering all options for the club with the NHL trade deadline less than two months away.
The Bruins weren't on the ice Wednesday night, but the team was together at the 2025 Black and Gold Gala in Boston to benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation. Neely took time to chat with reporters at the event, and was asked how he expects to approach the March 7th NHL trade deadline.
At the moment, Neely isn't sure how the team will deal with the deadline. Normally, the Bruins would go all-in and bring in a veteran to support the current team, but it's unclear if that would help the 2024-25 squad at the moment. The Bruins are walking a bit of a tight rope, hoping to help the current team but not wanting to do anything that will handcuff the future -- and vice versa.
"There are some teams right now that are bon afide sellers and a lot of teams looking to buy. We're in the playoff picture now, but that could change. We want to continue to improve as a hockey club whether that's internally or externally," Neely said Wednesday.
Neely said things will really pick up after the 4 Nations Face Off, which takes place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20. At that point, he'll have a better idea of how to tackle the deadline.
"Right now, we've got to look at two paths. One that we're buying and one that we're maybe retooling a little bit," Neely explained. "We still feel like we've got a playoff team here. We certainly don't want to jeopardize getting out of the playoffs because we made some moves that may be good for the future but not good for the present.
"We've gone all-in a number of times over the last 10 years, and rightfully so. We have to be smart," Neely added. "If you do it again, you have to know you're a team that has a good chance to have a deep run. You don't want to go all-in and not feel confident you're going to have a deep run."
Neely and Sweeney haven't been afraid to go all-in over the last several years, bringing in veterans like Rick Nash, Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Patrick Maroon at the deadline. Charlie Coyle and Hampus Lindholm were also deadline acquisitions that later signed extensions with the team.
But those moves cost the team draft picks and prospects, and are a part of the reason the team is in such a tight spot in the present. If management doesn't believe this year's team has what it takes to make a playoff run -- or worse yet, even make the playoffs -- they'll have to really look hard into trading away pending free agents and veterans to build toward the future around core players David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Swayman.
Neely said he doesn't really have an "appetite" to retool the team and be sellers at the deadline, but he's clearly keeping all options open.
Boston Bruins CEO and alternate governor Charlie Jacobs said the team's struggles have been a "head-scratcher" this season, but he has confidence that Sweeney and Neely will do what needs to be done to get the Bruins on track.
"I hear and feel everyone's frustration," Jacobs said Wednesday night. "I believe in our leadership. I know that has been called into question recently. I hope we can build off the last two games. Our team, in my opinion, has yet to play its best game yet. I feel like we've got it in our system and have got it in the room, and my hope is we can find it."
Jacobs pointed out that the team has made the playoffs in eight of the 10 seasons that Sweeney has been making the moves. While just making the playoffs isn't good enough, that's the first step toward the team's ultimate goal.
"I'm not going to measure success in making the playoffs. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. But you can't win the Stanley Cup if you don't make it to the playoffs," said Jacobs. "We've done that the last eight years and I hope we do it again for a ninth."
"I certainly appreciate that," Neely said of Jacobs' support. "I look at the body of work the past 10 years -- it'd be nice if we sprinkled in a Cup in '19 and maybe one in '23 but that didn't happen. We've felt that we've given our team a chance to win every year and that just hasn't materialized.
"That is frustrating for us and we know it's frustrating for the fanbase. Our fans certainly deserve championships," added Neely. "They come out and support us like no others. We're aware of the expectations here and we try to meet and exceed those every year. Right now it's a year we're not really accustomed to."
The Bruins have won two straight over tough opponents in the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but their hold over the final Wild Card spot isn't very strong because the teams behind them have games in hand. Boston has 49 points in 46 games, while the Columbus Blue Jackets (who trail the B's by just one point) have played only 44 games. The Ottawa Senators (47 points) and Montreal Canadiens (46 points) have both played just 43 games.
Adding at the deadline could make or break the Bruins, but the team has to prove that they're worth adding to over these next few weeks. It's not a situation team captain Brad Marchand is used to, but there's no way around it at the moment.
"We're aware of the situation we're in. We understand the roads that are in front of us and where they lead. We understand we haven't performed the way we've needed to and there are consequences that come from that," Marchand said Wednesday. "There are very high expectations with this organization and we're expected to perform and do our job, and compete every year for a Cup. If we're not going to do that, changes will be made so the team does compete for a Cup."
But Marchand said it's important for players not to look too far down the road.
"We can't look ahead," he said. "There are too many things that can happen between now and then. We have to focus day by day and focus on putting a good stretch together.
"We're not in a terrible spot. Yeah, we're not in the best spot, but that doesn't mean we can't accomplish something special this year or build something special as a group," Marchand added. "We just have to work and build toward it. The last couple of games we have shown we can compete with good teams, and we just need to continue to build off that. That starts by going day to day and then whatever happens, it'll happen."
The Bruins aren't back in action until Saturday afternoon when they pay a visit to the Senators in Ottawa.