Bruins’ weekly 3 stars: Don Sweeney adds depth at the deadline without subtracting from core
COMMENTARY
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and the Bruins’ core was untouched by general manager Don Sweeney. The only addition was veteran power forward Drew Stafford come over from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick.
The Stafford trade itself may not be anything to write home about as the 31-year-old has battled injuries and inconsistent play prior to his arrival in Boston. But with the recent success under interim coach Bruce Cassidy, keeping the current Bruins core and future prospects like BU’s Charlie McAvoy and Jakub Forsbaca-Karlsson should benefit Sweeney and company in the long run.
With that in mind, here is a look at this week’s three stars:
Don Sweeney
His first two years as general manager have been a roller coaster. From trading away Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic on draft day, to questionable trades like acquiring Zac Rinaldo and Jimmy Hayes and adding John-Michael Liles and Lee Stempniak at last year’s trade deadline each for a pair of draft picks and the firing of Claude Julien as the Patriots were parading through Boston have left many Bruins fans scratching their heads over some of Sweeney’s decisions.
Well, the Julien decision may pay off if Cassidy continues to get the most out of his team. With a 7-2 mark since the former Providence Bruins bench boss took over, Sweeney has given a vote of confidence towards Cassidy and the rest of the B’s locker room.
Even after the trade deadline, Sweeney will still be pretty busy. From the possibility of removing Cassidy’s interim label, to potentially signing the likes of McAvoy, Forsbaca-Karlsson and Notre Dame’s Anders Bjork when their collegiate campaigns come to a close, and getting a head start on choosing which players to protect for the expansion draft, Sweeney will have some important decisions to make in the last few weeks of the 2016-17 regular season.
Brad Marchand
He may not surpass Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby as favorites for the Hart Trophy, but his stellar play over the last two months should at least put him in the discussion.
In the nine games since Cassidy took over, Marchand has tallied at least one point in all but two of those contests. His 67 points sits him in a three-way tie alongside Crosby and Brent Burns for third in the league.
His goal during the Bruins’ 2-1 loss to the Rangers on Thursday marked the fourth straight game where Marchand lit the lamp. The veteran is one goal shy of his second straight 30-goal season. His 29 tallies tie him with Cam Atknison for sixth in the league.
In the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, Marchand has solidified himself as one of the primary scoring options along with David Pastrnak. As long as he stays hot in the remaining 18 games, the chances of the Bruins advancing to the playoffs will only go up.
David Backes
From a production standpoint, David Backes isn’t quite worth the expensive five-year, $30 million contract that he signed in the offseason. But whether its delivering a big hit or dropping the gloves in a timely matter as seen during his bout with Jamie Benn just two seconds into the B’s 6-3 win over the Stars on Sunday, Backes is still finding ways to contribute.
Since Cassidy took over, Backes has been playing his best hockey of the season. Part of that is being the beneficiary of the Marchand and Patrice Bergeron duo since being moved to the first line, but the former Blues captain has held his end of the bargain having tallied eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine games.
As the league trends towards speed and skill, the bruising power forward appears to have a diminished role, especially for players 30 or older like Backes. There’s no denying though that this recent nine-game stretch is giving Backes an extra pep in his step.
