What’s the biggest piece that the Boston Bruins are missing in their lineup?
One of the toughest, grittiest teams in NHL history is the Boston Bruins, but where did they go? In the 2021-22 season, the Bruins have been one of the softest teams in the league as they lack serious toughness in their lineup.
Boston has always been the team to stir the bee’s nest and wreak havoc throughout games, playing at their pace by setting the tone. We haven’t seen this version of them in quite some time though, and it’s one of the biggest reasons why nobody takes them seriously as a Stanley Cup contender.
Sean Thornton, Adam McQuaid, Zdeno Chara, and Milan Lucic are just a few of the players in recent memory who were the prototypical bruisers that made the Boston Bruins one of the most feared teams in the NHL. On this team, everyone loved to scrap. From small scruffs in front of the net to bench-clearing brawls against the Montréal Canadiens, this is who they’ve always been and it’s no wonder that as soon as they step away from it they become a mediocre pretender.
With this being said, it’s not that there aren’t guys on the B’s who can’t get the message across. Trent Frederic is a personal favorite who can stir the pot every time he’s on the ice. This is the type of guy who plays the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and starts hassling Alexander Ovechkin who is an NFL linebacker on skates.
Boston is trying to be like the other teams in the Atlantic Division who use speed and finesse to win games. The reason why they’ve always pummeled this division is that their bigger, stronger players would simply beat the will out of opposing teams.
If the Boston Bruins truly want to contend for another Stanley Cup before their window closes (which is dramatically soon), they need to add more toughness on the offense and defense.
Brandon Carlo, Derek Forebort, and Frederic simply can’t be the only guys who can scrap and get in the mix because two of them are in and out of the lineup every night. They need to get back to the style of hockey that brought them a championship ring back in the 2010-11 NHL season which is physical, hard-nosed hockey.