The 2022-23 season has come to an end and the Vegas Golden Knights have won the Stanley Cup. Former Boston Bruins’ coach, Bruce Cassidy, will have his name on the Cup along with former Bruin Reilly Smith. Despite the Florida Panthers’ magical playoff run, it was clear they were no match for Vegas.
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With the Cup finally awarded, it’s natural to look at what Vegas did correctly to get them to the winning spot and what other teams can learn from them. For the Bruins, this win is certainly a little bittersweet for some fans as Cassidy gets the win a year after being let go by the team. Still, there are several things they can take away from Vegas’ Stanley Cup win and try to replicate next season.
Take Advantage of Current Cap Rules
A lot has been written over the years about the use of long-term injury reserve (LTIR) by recent championship teams, such as Vegas and the Tampa Bay Lightning, to circumvent the hard cap rule in the NHL. It’s allowed for them to sign players that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to fit underneath the cap. For Vegas, they were able to activate captain Mark Stone off of LTIR for the playoffs after placing him on it three months earlier, freeing up cap space to make moves at the trade deadline (Graney, Ed. “Knights Didn’t Cheat When Activating Stone for NHL playoffs.” Las Vegas Review-Journal. 17 Apr. 2023). He was then able to return in the postseason since the salary cap no longer matters, so Vegas’ playoff roster was technically over the cap.
Since teams have started taking advantage of this loophole, many have called it cheating, which I personally disagree with. Maybe it’s a little underhanded, but it is still within the rules. If the league really cared, they would have changed the rules by now. In addition, every team knows about it now, so every team has a chance to take advantage of it.
No one knows what the cap increase will be for 2023-24, but it could just be a $1 million increase. This is not good for the Bruins, who are in desperate need of cap space. Going into the next season, if the opportunity presents itself, the team shouldn’t be afraid of taking advantage of this loophole and figuring out other ways to make it work. They utilized it at the trade deadline this year with their placement of Taylor Hall on LTIR making it possible for them to trade for Tyler Bertuzzi. Again, the loophole is there and everyone is aware of it; it’s free game for any team in the NHL to use it to their advantage. It might just help a team on their path to winning a Stanley Cup.
The Bruins were aggressive at the trade deadline this past season, and it brought in some of the best performers in their playoff series this year. With their cap situation, they’ll need to be creative next season and if the situation presents itself, the front office has to be willing to utilize the existing loopholes.
Make the Deals
In its short six-year history, Vegas has made a number of big transactions, from Alex Pietrangelo to Jack Eichel, the latter of whom was instrumental in this year’s Cup win. Even with them constantly being up near the cap, their front office has continued to be aggressive when building their roster, and finding ways to constantly be in the mix when a big player becomes available either in free agency or the trade market. It’s a model that paid off – make the deal that will benefit the team and then figure out how to fit the roster underneath the cap.
The Bruins were aggressive this past trade deadline and they benefited from their additions, especially Bertuzzi who was one of their best players in the postseason. If the team wants to capitalize on the final years of guys like Patrice Bergeron (presuming he doesn’t retire this summer) and Brad Marchand and be competitive again next season, then they need to continue to be aggressive, particularly when it comes to the center position. If either Bergeron or David Krejci retire, they are going to need to acquire a top center, either through a trade or free agency signing. They did not in 2021 after Krejci originally left the team, and it showed throughout the 2021-22 season. They were not a legitimate contender, so if they want to remain one, they need to make the deals that need to be made.
Taking a page from Vegas’ book, Boston should be in the mix for any big center that becomes available this summer or leading up to the next trade deadline. If they want to win a championship, they need to get championship-caliber players and that means being aggressive and making the deals like the Golden Knights have over the past few seasons.
Build From the Center Out
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all four of Vegas’ centers were in the team’s top 10 playoff contributors, with Eichel, their number one center, sitting at the top of the list. Center depth plays a big role in the teams that win championships. Both Eichel and second-line center, Chandler Stephenson, played out of their minds this postseason. The role of center is extremely valuable, and any team that has depth down the middle is going to be a contender.
Again, look at the Bruins this season as compared to previous ones. They had much more depth down the middle and it helped stabilize the wings and make an overall more functional offense. As the team heads into the offseason, they really should consider adding more depth at center. There is a chance they’ll lose fourth-line center Tomas Nosek in addition to the up-in-the-air futures of Bergeron and Krejci. Losing three out of four centers is obviously not ideal, and the front office shouldn’t be lax if they have to rebuild their center depth.
Even if both Krejci and Bergeron return for the 2023-24 season, it would still be in the Bruins’ best interest to acquire a high-end center at some point before the next postseason, either this summer or the 2024 Trade Deadline. It’s always better to have more centers and push some out to the wings than to lack legitimate top-end talent at the position.
Looking to the Future
Vegas has shown since coming into the league that they have a win-now mentality and it has paid off. They’ve only missed the playoffs once in the last six years, and have had two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, resulting in this year’s win. The Bruins should have a similar mentality. Prior to this past season, the front office dropped the ball in building a championship-winning roster. This season, while they had the talent, it just wasn’t in the cards, but the groundwork should be laid for the 2023-24 season.
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The Bruins cannot let this year’s postseason deter them. This team has the capability to be a serious contender again next season. With a few additions and taking some tips from Vegas’ aggressive model when building their roster, the Stanley Cup could return to Boston a year from now. Anything can happen in this league, but as the last few years have shown, sometimes one needs to just take the plunge, make the deal, and find the loopholes. There is no reason the Bruins can’t do the same.