Although it is probably way too early to ponder how the deadline acquisition of Andrey Kuzmenko will play out for the LA Kings in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, I am going to do it anyway. Fans and followers of both the 2012 and 2014 Cup winning teams are well aware of what bringing in the right piece at the right time can do for one's team, especially when it's the likes of Jeff Carter and Marion Gaborik.
After Game 1 of the first round series with the Edmonton Oilers, "Kuzy" has already earned a place in the conversation with these former deadline legends by registering three points (1 G, 2 A) in LA's thrilling 6-5 win over the Oilers. By comparison, Carter had two assists against Vancouver in his playoff debut with the Kings, whereas Gaborik did not find the scoresheet until Game 3 of the first round series against the San Jose Sharks in 2014.
In addition to his eight goals and five assists in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Carter's six goals down the stretch in the month of March were a boon to the offensively challenged Kings that year. Without Carter's impact, it's doubtful whether LA would have been able to squeak in as the Western Conference eighth seed at all that year.
While this year's squad was already securely in a playoff spot by the time Kuzmenko arrived, the 29-year-old Russian's contribution went a long way in wresting second place in the Pacific Division away from Edmonton. For a team having set a franchise record with 31 wins at home, having home ice in this series could turn out to be huge. In 20 regular season games with the Kings, Kuzmenko put up 17 points (5 G, 12 A) and injected much needed new life into the Kings' moribund power play.
With his first period goal 2:49 into Game 1, Andrei Kuzmenko scored the Kings’ fastest game-opening goal in the playoffs since Marian Gaborik (0:34) in Game 2 of the 2014 Second Round (per @NHLPR). pic.twitter.com/TycstotTcX
Marion Gaborik made a similar impact in 2014 when he put up 16 points over the final 19 regular season games before exploding in the playoffs, in route to LA's second Stanley Cup in three seasons. The Slovak sniper would lead LA with 14 playoff goals, two of those coming against crosstown rivals Anaheim: one to tie the game with just seven seconds remaining in the third and the second to win it in overtime.
On May 3, 2014, the Freeway Face-Off extended into the post season as Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks met for the first time in the playoffs. Marian Gaborik scored the game-tying goal late in the 3rd and scored the game winner in OT to give the Kings a 3-2 win in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/QNycNmw3IU
Could another offensively gifted European leaving a John Tortorella-coached team for LA at the deadline work out well for the Kings again? Much too early to say, but at the very least, things are off to an excellent start.
The Boston Bruins got great offensive production from David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie during the 2024-25 NHL season.
Pastrnak scored 40-plus goals for the fourth straight season and tallied 100-plus points for the third consecutive year. Geekie scored a career-high 33 goals — 16 more than last season.
But two good offensive players are not enough to make the playoffs, let alone make a run at the Stanley Cup. While there are plenty of roster weaknesses for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to address over the offseason, finding another high-end scorer needs to be at the top of the list.
“(We have to find) some extra scoring potential, and we probably have to address the wing positions,” Sweeney said Tuesday at the team’s end-of-season press conference.
“That will deepen the scoring ability that showed up ineffectively this year in the way the roster was built. We didn’t score enough, and our power play was dormant for most of the season.”
The Bruins ranked 27th in goals per game (all situations) and 29th in power-play percentage. They also ranked among the league’s worst teams in scoring at even strength.
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();
So, how do the Bruins find more scoring? Will they focus on the trade market, free agency or internal improvement?
“It’s all the above, whatever is at our disposal to utilize,” Sweeney said Tuesday. “I referenced what we tried to do at the trade deadline to find some younger players, deepen our prospect pool, add a player who would help us in Casey (Mittelstadt) from an offensive standpoint. He’s a different player than Charlie (Coyle). He could grow into some of the things that Charlie Coyle was so very good at.
“We’re going to use every mechanism possible.”
The B’s could definitely get more offense from the players already in the organization.
Pavel Zacha is a 50-point scorer who played below that level this season. The blue line, especially Charlie McAvoy, can provide more offense. Casey Mittelstadt could score 15-20 goals if used correctly. Elias Lindholm had a strong finish to an otherwise underwhelming season. He could potentially regain his top-six center form from recent seasons. Young players such as Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten and Matt Poitras could provide valuable scoring depth, too.
But don’t expect prospects to get NHL reps until they’ve fully earned the opportunity.
“We’re not going to just plug a player in because he’s young and exciting,” Sweeney said. “They have to earn those stripes. Fabian’s a good example of building blocks and recognizing one-on-one talent and ability is different than how it’s going to translate to winning hockey in the National Hockey League on a competitive team. Ultimately, they have to earn that. We’re going to hold them to that standard.”
The most impactful way to bolster this team’s offensive potential — at least in the short term — is to swing for the fence in free agency and/or the trade market. The B’s will enter the offseason with about $28 million in salary cap space, per PuckPedia.
Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner could become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He is an elite offensive player who tallied a career-high 102 points this season. He’s arguably the best playmaking wing in the sport and has averaged 66 assists over the last four years.
Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers has scored 20-plus goals in eight of the last nine seasons. He can become a UFA this summer, too.
It’s unknown if Marner or Ehlers will even make it to free agency in July, but if they do, it would be smart for the Bruins to try to acquire one of them. Besides Marner and Ehlers, there aren’t any other major difference-makers in the 2025 free agent class.
That leaves the trade market as the other path for Sweeney to make significant scoring additions to his roster. As a result of his trade deadline moves, Sweeney now has a couple more quality prospects and draft picks — including four first-rounders and five second-rounders over the next three years — to dangle on the trade market.
And then, of course, the Bruins will have the opportunity to add a potential top-six forward in the 2025 NHL Draft. Boston has the fifth-best odds to win the lottery and can finish no lower than the No. 7 pick. The center position is the Bruins’ primary roster need entering this draft, and there are several talented prospects at that position in the top 15 picks.
The Bruins need to defend better next season. The goaltending — especially from Jeremy Swayman — needs to be much improved, too. But unless the B’s fix their scoring troubles, this team will be back in the draft lottery in 2026. Only one of the bottom-12 teams (the Minnesota Wild) in goals scored this season made the playoffs.
If Sweeney can acquire at least one high-end forward in the coming months, it could be enough to get the Bruins back into the playoff mix as early as next season.
The Winnipeg Jets have pulled ahead two games to zero in their opening round, best-of-seven matchup with the St. Louis Blues.
Thanks to back-to-back game-winning goals from Kyle Connor, the Jets have taken a stranglehold on a tough Central Division opponent that got red-hot over the season's second half.
St. Louis, which actually had its franchise-best, 12-game winning streak stopped by the Jets in the season's final weeks, has not been a pushover either. The Blues led at two different points in Game 1, and never trailed by more than a single goal at any point in this series (with the exception of Adam Lowry's empty-net marker).
The Jets know the Blues well. Playing each other roughly four times a year, the two divisional opponents also have a postseason history.
In 2019, a similar looking St. Louis team challenged Winnipeg in the opening round. Having been dead last in league standings near the Christmas break, the Blues rebounded dramatically in the second half, earning their way to a date with Winnipeg in first round.
They came into the former Bell MTS Place and stole both games away from the Jets, pulling ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven.
Winnipeg flipped the script with two wins in St. Louis, tying things up in advance of Game 5.
But the Blues were just too strong and took the next two games, sealing the deal on the Jets' push for another lengthy postseason run. That Blues team was good, real good. So good that it went all the way to the Cup Final, where it beat the Bruins in seven games for the league championship.
Should Winnipeg manage to find a way to take down St. Louis this year, the Jets would then go on to face the winner between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.
Should the Avalanche come out on top, it would be another familiar opponent. Colorado was Winnipeg's Round 1 matchup last postseason. Despite beating the Avs in Game 1 at home last year, the Jets dropped the second contest, before hitting the road for Denver.
They lost both games at Ball Arena only to come home and lose in the series-deciding contest, falling from the postseason in just five games - four after a dominant 7-6 win in the opener.
Should Winnipeg play Colorado and manage to fend off its explosive offence, a date with the Jets' most familiar postseason opponent could be in the works.
Should they beat the Minnesota Wild in the opening round and then take care of business against either Los Angeles or Edmonton in the second round, the Vegas Golden Knights could once again be waiting on the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Final.
Sure, it's quite a reach, Winnipeg very well could be squaring off with the team that has twice booted the Jets from the postseason - including shutting down their chance at going to the Cup back in the Western Conference Final in 2018.
Vegas certainly has the depth and experience to take another swing at a lengthy postseason run. But it's just that. Are the Knights running out of oxygen? Will they sustain another series-and-a-half of playoff violence to make it to the conference final?
The same question could be said of Winnipeg, which is already down Gabe Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers and Rasmus Kupari on offence due to injury.
If the Conference Final was determined by regular season standings points it would already have guaranteed a matchup between Vegas and the Jets. However, this is NHL hockey - and Stanley Cup Playoff hockey at that, where nothing is given, every inch is earned.
Yes, Vegas sent Winnipeg packing in five games back in the third round in 2018. Sure, that feels like a lifetime (and a pandemic) ago, but the wound still bleeds.
More recently, the Golden Knights denied the Jets' hopes in the first round two seasons back. In a very similar way to that of Colorado's five-game victory, Vegas allowed a Jets win in Game 1 before storming back with four-straight to eliminate Winnipeg from contention.
If it is Winnipeg and Vegas in the conference final and the Jets prove victorious, the only fitting opponent in the Stanley Cup Final would be the Montreal Canadiens - also known as the team that swept Winnipeg in four-straight games in the second round of the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.
The idea of Montreal - the Eastern Conference's eighth-seed - making a run to the Stanley Cup may be the most preposterous part of this proposition, but the possibility is not completely far-fetched. The Habs would have to beat the top team in the East (Washington) before taking down a combination of Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina to make it to the Cup.
It would be an insanely wild ride for the Jets and their fans, but it's not entirely impossible. Sure, many stars would need to align to allow this redemption tale for the ages, but for now, it starts with the Blues, as the Jets allow feelings from 2019, 2024, 2018, 2023 and maybe, just maybe, 2021 fuel their passion for greatness.
Tkachuk and Domi made headlines on Day 4 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs – but it wasn’t Keith and Tie.
The last time Keith Tkachuk and Tie Domi were in the playoffs at the same time was in 2004. This time, it was the Florida Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Max Domi scoring important goals on Tuesday night, although Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk recorded his first career goal as well.
Here are the key storylines from each game.
Carolina Hurricanes Defeat New Jersey Devils 3-1 (CAR leads series 2-0)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen took over the spotlight in Game 2 against the New Jersey Devils. In a low-scoring 2-1 win for the Hurricanes, Andersen made 25 stops on 26 shots to record a .962 save percentage.
Aside from the opening five minutes of the game when they scored, the Devils didn’t have many grade-A chances. According to naturalstattrick.com, New Jersey had seven high-danger chances, while Carolina had 15.
Although the Hurricanes controlled most of this game, the Devils put up a strong fight defensively. Brett Pesce kept the game close, with six blocked shots and two goal-line clearances.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe liked his team’s game as the series moves to New Jersey for two games.
“I liked a lot about our game today,” Keefe said. “We showed attitude, we showed competitiveness, we showed care.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Defeat Ottawa Senators 3-2 OT (TOR leads series 2-0)
The Toronto Maple Leafs took Game 2 over the Ottawa Senators in overtime thanks to a Max Domi snipe. With that, the Leafs take a 2-0 series lead for the first time since 2002 against the New York Islanders.
Max isn’t the first Domi to score a game-winner against the Senators in the playoffs. His father, Tie, scored a game-winning goal in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sens in 2004.
Domi’s reaction to his goal?
“Big win, on to the next one now,” he told reporters.
Ottawa had a tough time hitting the net in the third period with only three shots on goal. Nonetheless, the Senators forced overtime with a goal from Adam Gaudette. With that, they applied heavy offensive pressure on the Leafs, which coach Travis Green praised.
“I really liked the way we played tonight,” Green told reporters. “To play a road game like that was encouraging for our team.”
The Senators will get another crack at the Maple Leafs on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Florida Panthers Defeat Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 (FLA leads series 1-0)
It took four days from the opening night of the playoffs before fans could see the Battle of Florida between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. However, Game 1 might not have ended the way many would’ve anticipated.
Speaking of waiting, Matthew Tkachuk finally returned to the Panthers roster after being out with a lower-body injury since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He made his presence known, scoring two goals and an assist in his return, all on the power play.
The Panthers went on to steamroll the Lightning in a 6-2 win on the road to set the tone for the series. Defenseman Nate Schmidt added another two goals past Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had a rough outing for the Bolts.
It was a night to forget for Vasilevskiy, who finished the game with a .625 SP, allowing six goals on 16 shots.
The third period was when things got out of hand for Tampa Bay. They allowed three goals that sucked the energy out of the team. The Lightning challenged Schmidt’s first goal and lost the argument, which then led to another goal 14 seconds later on the power play.
Eventually, they added a third, and fans began to leave Amalie Arena early.
“You have to stop the bleeding,” Victor Hedman said to reporters.
Minnesota Wild Defeat Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 (Series Tied 1-1)
The Minnesota Wild flipped the script on the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2, with a 5-2 win. It was a hot start for the Wild, scoring three goals in the opening period past Adin Hill, to give the team a large cushion for the rest of the contest.
Minnesota’s first line led the way, with Kirill Kaprizov making multiple highlight plays in the game. He started with a shoulder-high, breakaway pass to Matt Boldy, who opened the scoring. Boldy has three goals and four points, while Kaprizov has two goals and five points in this series.
“I think (Joel Eriksson Ek, Boldly, and Kaprizov), they play a playoff-style type of hockey,” Wild coach John Hynes told reporters. “They play north. They play direct. They can use their competitive level in combination with skill. It gives them a chance to be a line that's hard to play.”
Kaprizov iced the game with 2:26 left on the clock with the empty net. While protecting their lead, he pounced on a loose puck after a save from Filip Gustavsson and threw it the length of the ice, into Vegas’ empty net to secure the win.
For most of this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t know what to do with Max Domi — or where he fit in.
Was he a second-line winger? A third-line centre? After acquiring Scott Laughton at the trade deadline, was Domi even a top-nine forward anymore?
In a 3-2 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators, Domi answered back with: Yes. Yes. And yes.
The 30-year-old gap-toothed forward, who played up and down in the lineup on Tuesday, was a bit of everything for the Leafs in Game 2. That included being the somewhat unlikely OT hero in a game that the home team nearly gave away.
Domi started the night playing wing on a second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. But in overtime, he was centering the third line with Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson when Domi deked past a couple of defenders and scored the winning goal to give the Leafs a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“Every night there’s a different hero in playoffs, it doesn’t matter who scores as long as we get the win,” said Domi. “Shoot the puck, anything can happen.”
In the process, Domi reminded everyone that his biggest asset might just be his versatility, along with his dedication to improving his skill-set.
After all, that move that Domi pulled off in overtime was one that he practised often. That very morning, while his teammates were still in the dressing room, Domi was alone on the ice ripping shot after shot on an empty net. Hours later, he did it for real, while his dad, who is no stranger to the Battle of Ontario, cheered him on from the stands.
“Great play by him,” said Mitch Marner. “That was really cool for him to get that. I’m happy for him. It was an amazing play by him to get that middle (on the ice) and that shot.
Taking a drop pass from Simon Benoit in the Ottawa end, Domi weaved through traffic and then beat goalie Linus Ullmark with a wrist shot at 3:09 in the extra frame.
“He works on his craft so much on ice, off ice,” said Marner. “How he takes care of his body, how he’s such a pro. I was lucky that I got to see that in London as well when I was really young. To learn off of him was amazing. To see nothing has changed and he’s even more of a pro now is pretty special.”
For Domi, it was the kind of moment that he has likely dreamed about. But it was also the kind of moment that has eluded him for most of his time with the Leafs. After signing a four-year extension worth $15-million last summer, there was an expectation that Domi would get back to being the highly skilled player who once scored 28 goals and 72 points for the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19.
At the very least, with Craig Berube hired as coach, the thinking was Domi would embody the hard-nosed style that the new Leafs coach was preaching.
Instead, with just eight goals and 33 points, Domi has spent the year trying to justify his salary and spot in the lineup.
A day earlier, Berube had told reporters that “Max is good about playing wherever.” After the Leafs gave up a 2-0 lead, Domi was taken off the second line in favour of Pontus Holmberg. “Just an adjustment with match-ups more than anything,” said Berube.
Whether he’s playing on the second line, third line or even the fourth line, Domi found a way to make an impact.
“Big win, obviously we needed that one,” said Domi. “I give Ottawa all the credit in the world. They played a heck of a hockey game. We stuck with it, made some plays that we had to make at the right time and big win. On to the next one now.”
The Vegas Golden Knights entered Game 2 hoping to take a 2-0 series lead, but will now head to Minnesota with the series tied after Kirill Kaprizov imposed his will, helping the Minnesota Wild win 5-2.
Heading into the series, a lot was made of the matchup between Kaprizov and Jack Eichel, but through two games, it's been all Kaprizov. The 27-year-old Russian winger has scored two goals and five points on seven Wild goals. All three of Kaprizov's assists have been primary helpers on Matt Boldy's goals.
Kaprizov's dominance should not diminish Boldy's excellence. Through two games, he's showcased his skill, hockey IQ, and physicality. Boldy has found ways to sneak behind the Golden Knights' defence and open up passing lanes for Kaprizov. On last night's opening goal, he was first to notice the change of possession, darted up the middle of the ice, received an outstanding pass from Kaprizov and used his body to shield Shea Theodore from the puck before finishing off the breakaway chance.
“It was unbelievable,” Boldy said, mentioning that it may be the best pass he's ever seen.
As great as Boldy has been, it's Kaprizov who has his hands in every bit of action that comes from the Wild.
The Golden Knights need more from their best players to maintain or keep up with Kaprizov. Eichel and Mark Stone have not yet recorded a point through two games and are a -3. Theodore had a very difficult night, finding himself on the ice for all four Wild goals as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead. He turned the puck over for two goals and was caught puck-watching on the others.
“He’s trying to do too much out there. It’s that simple,” HC Bruce Cassidy said of Theodore. “He was light on the puck tonight. What do you want me to say? He’s a great player for us. It wasn’t his night, and it snowballed. There’s a player trying to make amends, and I respect that. I like that. It didn’t go that way, and someone has to pick him up by putting out a fire.”
Injuries are the only way Kaprizov has been held in check this season. During the regular season, he scored 25 goals and 56 points in 41 games. Going back to Minnesota, it will be harder for Cassidy to get the matchups he wants against the 2015 fifth-round pick, but it will have to be a team effort to slow him down.
Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.
It was another overtime classic etched into the history of the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena – and it was a hometown player who sealed the deal.
Just 3:09 into overtime, Max Domi delivered a highlight-reel goal to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators and a 2-0 series lead in their first-round matchup.
The play began with Simon Benoit breaking up a rush in the Leafs' zone, turning the puck up ice, and feeding Domi just as they crossed the Senators’ blue line. The 30-year-old forward then danced through Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson before wiring the puck past Linus Ullmark, capping off a big win for Toronto.
“It’s a heck of a play by Benny, he made that whole thing happen. I got a little lucky when it squeaked through, I’m not really sure if it was Cozens or who it was, but a little lucky. Then you get inside the hashmarks like that in the middle of the ice, you just got to shoot it. Ullmark is a heck of a goalie, but I’ll take it,” Domi said post-game.
“A lot of excitement. It’s a great play by him,” added teammate Mitch Marner. “It starts with Benny reading that play in our D zone and making a great outlet pass up the ice, and then joining, net front screen. Overall, just a great play by both of them.”
It was a special moment for Domi, his first goal and point of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with his father, former Maple Leafs fan-favorite Tie Domi, watching in the crowd.
“Pure jubilation. Obviously, the building erupts, but you couldn’t be happier for him,” said goaltender Anthony Stolarz. “He’s worked his a** off all year for us. He’s a great two-way player. He’s a hell of a teammate in the room, and to see someone like that get rewarded, hopefully it’s the start of something big for him this playoffs.”
“Everyday is a real privilege when you play with guys like him… For him to have that moment in overtime here at home, is extremely special for all of us. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling," added defenseman Morgan Rielly.
Toronto jumped out to a 2-0 lead for the second straight game, scoring on two of their first four shots. But unlike Game 1, Ottawa pushed back. The Senators dominated much of the second period, outshooting the Leafs 28-21 and throwing 44 hits in the game, while controlling enough offensive zone time to force overtime.
Despite the pressure, the Leafs held strong. They blocked 32 shots, and Stolarz once again stood tall in net.
“Unreal. Great for him (Domi), great for our team. Obviously, we got off to a real good start today. They pushed back hard, and we just stick with it,” said Tavares. “It wasn’t always pretty at times, but did what we had to do and got a big play by him. Obviously, winning in overtime is always a great feeling.”
This postseason marks Domi’s second with the Maple Leafs. He recorded four points (1G, 3A) in their seven-game series loss to the Boston Bruins last spring, and while his regular season numbers this year were modest, finishing with eight goals and 25 points in 33 games, his versatility continues to be an asset.
After starting Game 1 on the second line on the wing, Domi was moved back to center in Game 2, anchoring the third line with Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson – a spot he spent most of the season in.
As the game took a turn, head coach Craig Berube, who had urged Domi to utilize his shot more often throughout the season, gave the forward the opportunity to make something happen in the extra frame. Playing his style, his game, Domi made no mistake when the chance presented itself.
“Yeah, it was great to see that goal by Max. Obviously, a great play. Benoit made a great play on it,” said Berube.
“He still works hard. I mean, he's always trying to improve and get better and work with people, skill guys, and practice and stuff like that. I feel very good. I feel very happy for him to get a goal. It's a big goal, obviously, and it's a great feeling to score one of those,” added Berube. “I'm very happy for him. He's a hard worker. I thought he had a good game tonight overall. He was skating. I always say that when Max skates and attacks, he's on his game.”
As Stolarz mentioned, if Tuesday night was any indication, the best may still be to come for Domi.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
There are a lot of reasons why the Boston Bruins find themselves in the unusual position of not playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and staring at the possibility of having a top-five pick in the NHL Draft.
Poor drafting and player development are at or near the top of the list.
You can get away with bad drafting and development if you have a good veteran team, which the Bruins had for over a decade. But at some point it catches up to you, and for the Bruins, that reality came in the 2024-25 season as they sunk to the fifth-worst record in the league.
The Bruins could make a few fixes this summer to get back in the playoff mix next season, but for them to really compete for a Stanley Cup title over the long term, there has to be a much larger emphasis on drafting and player development.
The Bruins’ draft record over the last 10 years is not good. There’s no room for debate. In fact, since Don Sweeney took over as general manager in 2015, he has drafted only two impact players who are still on the roster: defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
Only one forward drafted by Sweeney has scored 20-plus goals in a season — Jake DeBrusk — and he’s no longer on the roster. Only 10 of the 38 players drafted by the Bruins from 2017 through 2023 have played in an NHL game.
Despite the team’s lackluster draft and development history, Bruins president Cam Neely got pretty defensive when asked about it during Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference.
Here’s the exchange between Neely and The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont:
Dupont: “Question on drafting and development, neither of them have really been up to expectations in my opinion.”
Neely: “Can you just elaborate on that, Kevin?”
Dupont: “The drafting?”
Neely: “Yep. Where we’ve picked, who we’ve picked and how it’s turned out.”
Dupont: “Well, where you’ve picked is not a lot of top 10 picks.”
Neely: “Not a lot of first-round picks.”
Dupont: “But ultimately, are those draft picks, have they developed and come on line the way you’ve wanted? If that’s the case, fine.”
Neely: “Well, obviously, you want to hit on all of your picks. The work the scouts do over the course of a year, they put in a lot of time and effort, they understand the players as best they can. We get the information from the scouts. Don ultimately ends up making the picks with information he gets from the scouts throughout the year.
“But I think our drafting and developing, the narrative there is a little off. And it’s been going on for quite some time. It goes back to 2015. In 2015, it was really unfair to Don. By the time Don got hired it was late May, the draft was late June. He probably wasn’t thinking about being the general manager at the time.
“What Don did leading up to the draft to make the acquisitions he did with those picks, to get those three picks, I thought was really good. Then Don was trying to move up in the draft and it didn’t work out.
“What we should have done, looking back, we should have taken some time out and said, ‘OK guys, let’s regroup here. We didn’t move up. We’ve got three picks in a row.’ I think it was very new for everybody. We stood backstage for those three picks. What we should have done was get back to our table and say, ‘Are we OK with our list?’
“These are things you try to learn from. Other picks after that, I think we’ve got a number of players, not necessarily with the Boston Bruins, that we have drafted that have played NHL hockey games. We have traded some of the picks and prospects to try and improve our club to win the Stanley Cup.
“The narrative — we’re not hitting on all our draft picks. No one is. You pick in the top 10, you better hit. We haven’t done that in quite some time. Have we been perfect? No. Can we be better? Yes.”
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins have picked in Round 1 in just three of the last seven drafts.
The lack of accountability from Neely and Sweeney at this press conference as it relates to the franchise’s drafting and player development should concern Bruins fans.
Neely’s excuse that the Bruins haven’t picked in the first round much recently is pretty unsatisfying.
One of the biggest reasons why the Bruins have traded away so many first-round picks is because they can’t draft and develop good players on a consistent basis. When that happens, you have roster weaknesses that must be addressed at the trade deadline. And how do you fix those issues at the trade deadline? By trading away draft picks.
And when you don’t have those picks, it’s hard to draft good players. It’s like a vicious cycle.
Neely also noting “where we’ve drafted” didn’t make sense, either. So, good players can’t be found outside the first round? Or outside the top 10?
In 2021, the Bruins picked forward Fabian Lysell at No. 21 overall. Two picks later, the Dallas Stars took Wyatt Johnston. In 2017, the Bruins selected defenseman Urho Vaakanainen at No. 18 overall. Two picks later, the St. Louis Blues took forward Rob Thomas. There were two top-six forwards on the board in the range Boston picked in both of those drafts and the front office missed on both.
The 2015 draft conversation also won’t die. While it does get tiring to talk about it over and over, the reality is it was a major blunder by the franchise.
Not being able to trade up in 2015 shouldn’t have been a major setback. The three players selected after Boston’s three picks were Mathew Barzal (top-six center), Kyle Connor (one of the league’s best goal scorers) and Thomas Chabot (top-four defenseman). It was all there for the Bruins to get three impact players, and they came away with zero.
You could argue the Bruins could have won the the Stanley Cup in 2019 and 2023 (and maybe other years) if they took Barzal and/or Connor. If they drafted Connor, they probably don’t have to give up a first-round pick (and more assets) to trade for Rick Nash in 2018.
The Bruins have picked in Round 1 in just three of the last seven drafts. They’ve made just three second-round picks in the last seven drafts. The last time they picked in the first two rounds of the same draft was 2017. This path is not sustainable. The Bruins need to fully commit to building their prospect pool and developing the next wave of franchise pillars.
After trading away so many veteran players at the March 7 trade deadline and stockpiling a bunch of draft picks as a result — four first-rounders and five second-rounders in the next three drafts — it will be fascinating to watch how they use this capital.
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();
Will they trade some of these picks for immediate help? Charlie Jacobs, Neely and Sweeney all said or hinted at the notion that if healthy, and with upgrades this summer, the Bruins can be in the playoffs next season.
That’s great, but if this team actually wants to win the Stanley Cup in the near- or long-term, the drafting and developing has to improve. Throwing money at free agents and gutting the farm system/draft capital to address major roster issues isn’t a way to build a perennial winner.
And if that means the 2025-26 season doesn’t go well and you get another lottery pick, so be it. The Bruins don’t need to go through a Buffalo Sabres or Chicago Blackhawks type of rebuild where it’s a prolonged period of bad hockey.
Ridly Greig stood before Anthony Stolarz and received a few chops and shoves before getting knocked down by the towering goaltender shortly after.
It's been a series of physicality for the goaltender, who, after Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win, has a .934 save percentage, the third-best among goaltenders during the playoffs.
Greig drove the net hard and barreled into Stolarz during Toronto's Game 1 win. But when the Senators forward planted his skates in front of Stolarz on Tuesday, the goaltender was having none of it.
"It was just caught up in the heat of the battle. Just one of those things that, it didn’t matter. I didn’t even know who it was," Stolarz said post-game. "It’s just one of those, you’re in the heat of the moment, and it is what it is."
It's not the first time, and likely not the last, that Stolarz gets into it with an opponent who stands their ground in front of him. "I’ve taken quite a few penalties in my day," he grinned.
"I’ve known Stollie for a long time, and I’ve seen that in junior, too. He’s a big man. He sticks up for himself," said Mitch Marner, who played with Stolarz on the OHL's London Knights.
That mix-up might've been the most comedic part of the night. However, it won't be overshadowed by his strong play throughout Game 2, where he only allowed two goals on 28 shots.
He's been through a lot this season: getting more games than ever in the NHL and having knee surgery in mid-December, which cost him nearly two months. Stolarz came back from that and didn't miss a beat.
He's backstopping the Maple Leafs as they take a 2-0 series lead to Ottawa.
"He's just getting going in pro. You go through your career, how he went through it, kind of always was like the backup, but not a starter, and still a valuable position," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said.
"He's coming off a very good season last year and won a Stanley Cup. He came in this year wanting to be a starter, and I know it was a shared net for the most of the year. I think a lot of the reason for that was we had two guys that have not played a significant amount of games throughout the season. I like the combination of both of them, but he's been excellent all year."
Stolarz left Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday evening with four goals against through two games against the Senators. Part of that was because of how the Maple Leafs played in front of him, though his calm play also played a key role.
Most of what the 31-year-old has learned about playoff hockey came from getting a front-row seat to Sergei Bobrovsky's run with the Florida Panthers last spring.
"Last year, being able to be behind Bob and see how he conducted his day-to-day routine and what it took to prepare, and sit next to him in the locker room and just speak to him, I think that went pretty far for me," Stolarz said.
"I’m just trying to take all that experience from last year and roll it over to this year."
Before the playoffs began, Stolarz admitted he's not like other goaltenders, or in his words, the "weirdo." Stolarz likes to be around his teammates off the ice. However, when it comes down to business, he wants to win.
It's been a long road for the goaltender. He's a playoff starter in his ninth NHL season. Stolarz is enjoying the ride. The next stop: Ottawa for a crucial Game 3 of the Battle of Ontario.
"You obviously want your opportunity [to be a starter], but at the end of the day, I’m playing in the NHL. I like to have fun out there," said Stolarz. "I like to enjoy the moment with everyone on the team. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, but tomorrow, right back to work."
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
One thing that Montreal Canadiens’ fans have to be noticing is the magical year that Washington Capitals star, Alex Ovechkin is having. I’m afraid his two-goal game is just the tip of the iceberg.
That playoff overtime goal was the first of his illustrious career. That’s hard to believe since he’s played for so long and he has a Stanley Cup ring - - but here we are. Now, I think the Canadiens have to game plan more for stopping Ovechkin.
You have to try and keep Ovechkin on the outside. His stamina isn’t what it used to be so make him skate more. The Canadiens’ best defense might be holding on to the puck more than they did. That’s a total team effort that could pay dividends.
After looking at NHL Edge stats, I would boost Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier’s minutes and pull back a lot of Jayden Struble and some from Lane Hutson. And use David Savard less at the beginning of games and more from the second period on. There may be a way to give him a few more minutes but have him out there in key spots for his experience even though he has slowed down.
The Canadiens’ are playing with house money but that doesn’t mean that they can’t put a scare into the Capitals while gaining valuable playoff experience. Ovechkin is the Capitals best player once again and Montreal needs to play him tighter. I felt like he was able to roam free at times and that’s just dangerous.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
