The Boston Bruins made their decisions to stick with their current group after the NHL trade deadline and more than a few players seemed to operate like a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders.
Linus Ullmark made 38 saves and was Boston’s best player in a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon after reportedly nixing a trade with his no-trade clause, Jake DeBrusk scored a goal after much speculation he would be moved ahead of free agency and Pavel Zacha scored a pair of goals after Boston opted against center upgrades at the deadline.
“[Ullmark] was our best player,” said Jim Montgomery. “It wasn’t close. He was really good. Glad he’s still a Bruin!”
It felt like the entire group was playing loose, energized hockey after no subtractions were made to the roster and instead the Bruins made some simple playoff-style roster adds with heavy, physical players in Pat Maroon and Andrew Peeke.
“We feel good about our group,” said Brad Marchand, who scored the 399th goal of his NHL career on Saturday afternoon. “I mean, we have all year. We added two tough pieces and two great guys in the room [Maroon and Peeke before Friday’s trade deadline]. I love our group, feel very confident in it and come playoff-time anything can happen. We have a group we believe in and that’s what’s important.”
On the other side, it sure looked like Pittsburgh’s best players were playing the game under protest after watching Penguins management trade sniper Jake Guentzel to their divisional rival Carolina Hurricanes. Both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby finished without shots on net in the loss and the Penguins generally brought nothing to the table after failing to get a puck past Ullmark in the first period despite 14 shots on net.
But the biggest sigh of relief had to be from Ullmark, who can’t really be blamed for not wanting to be separated from his family for the next few months while foregoing a no-trade clause that he earned in his contract. Ullmark wouldn’t confirm that he flexed his NTC muscle to nix a trade reportedly that would have sent him to the LA Kings, but instead reiterated how much he loved being a member of the Boston Bruins.
“Oh thank god, yes…it’s tough,” said Ullmark, who had lost six straight decisions before the decisive win against the Penguins. “You try to act tough beforehand, and you don’t want to show anything. You don’t want to show any emotions kind of like in playoff situations. It is tough on players.
“This is the first time I had to go through being [talked about in rumors]. I always felt like I was safe, but you hear more and more of those outside noises, and it takes a toll on you. There’s an emotional part of it and you start thinking about your family. There are always these questions that you don’t have answers to. So I’m very happy it’s over with and I am very glad and happy to be here.”
Certainly, his goaltending tandem partner Jeremy Swayman made sure to animatedly celebrate with him that he’s staying after the winning performance.
None of this means that the Bruins won’t revisit trade talks for Ullmark in the summertime when it would make more sense to deal to a bigger group of suitors, and it doesn’t mean DeBrusk and Boston won’t simply walk away from each other in free agency over the summer as well.
All it means is that the Bruins correctly assessed this season’s group is a playoff team that could use a little more muscle and attitude, but that this season’s performance, and the talent available at the deadline frankly, wasn’t worth blowing up the NHL roster, or making multiple moves to simply free up enough cap space to bring in a piece that might not even be a needle-mover at the end of the day.
If the Bruins are good to engineer a deep Stanley Cup run this spring it will be because players like Ullmark, DeBrusk and Zacha are helping lead the way along with star B’s players like David Pastrnak, Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Swayman. If not, then Sweeney and Co. will have a lot more cap space and flexibility to play with this summer to truly change the complexion of the team like they weren’t able to at this week’s trade deadline.
ONE TIMERS
1. Flying under the radar of the NHL trade deadline transactions was the season-ending injury for rugged defenseman Derek Forbort, who the Bruins will miss on the penalty kill and in battle areas around the net in the playoffs. It was clear Forbort wasn’t right all season as he battled a nagging injury that will require surgery, and that was reflected in the way he struggled coming back after shutting things down for a month midseason to see if it improved. Instead, his season is over after playing in just 35 games, his time with the Bruins is very likely over at the end of his contract and he will likely spend the summer rehabbing from surgery while looking for a job. “People should realize that Derek [Forbort] has been playing through two significant injuries,” said Don Sweeney after the trade deadline. “One for sure is requiring surgery, and the other is one that quite possibly could. So real kudos, and testament to the character of Derek, and wanting to be that ultimate team player and play through some significant pain and injuries. But it got to a point where it was not feasible for him to continue to play.”
2. Pat Maroon met with the media on Saturday afternoon prior to meeting up with his new Bruins teammates for the first time and brought his customary sense of humor while alluding to a lengthy past history of trash talk and fisticuffs with the Black and Gold with a smile on his face.
Don’t underestimate how much his bold personality inside the dressing room and winning pedigree were big reasons he was brought into the Boston fold as much as what he’ll bring on the ice once his back heals from early February surgery. “I feel like I’m hated here,” said Maroon. “There’s been a lot of chirps and fighting with these guys over the years, but it’s gonna be good to be on the other side of it.”
3. David Pastrnak scored his 40th goal on Saturday afternoon and joined a select group on the Boston Bruins as only Cam Neely (four times), Rick Middleton (five times) and Phil Esposito (seven times) have hit the lofty 40-goal plateau that many times or more as members of the Black and Gold. He could be the all-time franchise leader in that category before it’s all said and done.
4. Was really enjoyable watching some of the second annual “Big City Greens Classic” on Disney and Disney XD with my hockey-playing kids as motion capture and tracking technology allowed the animated show to track game play between the Bruins and the Penguins as if the NHL game was being played in the animated world of Big City Greens complete with characters from the show. It’s also fun to watch how great Brad Marchand fits into kids animated show with his voice-over ability and comedic acting skills. When the Bruins went on the power play and all the B’s players turned into massive bears on skates, that was truly something special. Hopefully they keep doing this every year as it’s a popular show with the kids and it really showcases all the cool technology at the disposal both the NHL and ABC/ESPN.
5. Interesting note from New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver that Bruins player development guru Adam McQuaid reviewed video of Andrew Peeke’s play with Columbus before the Bruins pulled the trigger on trading for him. It really speaks to the healthy, consensus-building management group that Sweeney has in place when it comes to transactions like this and how highly thought of McQuaid is within the organization after a great run as a rugged, Cup-winning D-man with the Black and Gold.
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