It would seem that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is letting it be known that he’s going to be a buyer on the trade market this season.
The B’s general manager addressed reporters with a zoom session on Wednesday afternoon as the hockey team took a day away from the rink after a tough 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, and he didn’t shy away from the tough questions. Sweeney acknowledged the lamp-lighting issues as the Bruins have dropped to 21st in the NHL in offense (2.78 goals per game) and dropped out of the top-10 in power play efficiency and didn’t exactly deny a “shake-up” move might be coming.
“If we have to shake things up, I think we will do that,” said Sweeney. “Our expectations haven’t changed. Our group has played, you know, well but not quite good enough. The scoring has been the Achilles heel up until this point. Hopefully we can find it from within, or I’m going to have to make a move to bring in support.
“Clearly we’ve played well defensively in the last five games or so. We just haven’t generated, or finished, I should say. Five-on-five is just not where it needs to be to consistently win, or to extend leads if you do get them. It’s a concern across the board. It’s not so much the top-heavy part of it, but just overall. Injuries have played a little bit of a factor there on the back end, but we’ve also not given up that much. The goaltenders are playing pretty well. So yeah, I think [offense] is a major concern for us.”
Clearly there is still time to evaluate with the trade deadline not until April 12, but we’re also talking about a Boston Bruins team that’s just one point away from falling out of the playoff picture completely in the East Division.
