Things have gone well for the most part for the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 and it’s only fitting that they clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth on a night where they don’t play. In this edition of Bruins News & Rumors, the Black and Gold are officially in the postseason, a trade deadline acquisition is working his way back, a new defenseman is settling in with his team, will the Bruins prioritize rest ahead of the playoffs, and more.
Pat Maroon Working Out on His Own
Three weeks ago at the trade deadline on March 8, Boston General Manager (GM) Don Sweeney swung a couple of minor deals to bring in depth and toughness. The first trade he made was to acquire former Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild, but the former Tampa Bay Lightning champion remains out recovering from back surgery.
Maroon is not on the current road trip for the Bruins and second-year head coach Jim Montgomery said after practice on Friday (March 29) that the veteran forward has been working out on his own at Warrior Ice Arena. Maroon was not brought in for the regular season, although it would be nice to get him action ahead of the postseason, but he fills a void Boston missed last season in the first round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers, toughness.
Andrew Peeke Settling in With the Bruins
The second deal that Sweeney made at the trade deadline was to acquire defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets with Jakub Zboril, who was the 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft, going back. Peeke, who has two years remaining on his contract with a reasonable $2.75 million average annual value (AAV), moved up to the second pairing against Tampa Bay on March 27 with Hampus Lindholm and is trying to form a connection with whoever he’s paired with.
“New team, new system, new players, obviously, but for me personally, building that momentum, building that confidence on a nightly basis, it’s all I can do. All I have to do is get ready for that next one when the opportunity is there.”
Andrew Peeke (from ‘Linus Ullmark up, James van Riemsdyk down as Bruins lose to Lightning,’ The Athletic, March 27, 2024)
Acquiring Peeke gives the Bruins depth under contract for the next couple of seasons and allows Sweeney to let Derek Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk leave in free agency. With Charlie McAvoy, Lindholm, Parker Wotherspoon, Brandon Carlo, and Mason Lohrei locked up on defense, it will allow the Bruins GM to focus on adding forwards in free agency over the summer.
Bruins Not Prioritizing Rest Ahead of the Playoffs
Boston was in Washington, D.C. Thursday night (March 28) with a day off after splitting the first two games of their road in Florida against the Panthers and Lightning when they clinched a postseason berth. Boston officially clinched when the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-0, and the Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Montreal Canadiens that night.
Brad Marchand both spoke about prioritizing rest ahead of the playoffs and whether or not he will miss a game on a back-to-back. The first-year captain doesn’t like someone who will be resting over the next three weeks.
“If you can’t play back-to-backs, then you shouldn’t be in the league,” said Marchand. “You should be the best-conditioned athletes in the world.”
Related: Lightning Series Win Over Bruins Embodies Their 2023-24 Season
As for Montgomery, the final eight games of the regular season are going to be more about playoff positioning and making sure that the team is playing well going into the most important part of the season instead of worrying about rest.
“For us it’s more about battling for positioning right now and getting into the playoffs playing the right way,” said Montgomery.
Wherever they end up, they end up and whoever they open with, they open with, but it feels like a few lessons were learned from how the end of the regular season was approached last season this season. The only difference in this season they still have to play for positioning while last season, it was locked up very early.
Bruins Prospects Make an Impact in the NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament began this weekend and the Bruins have several prospects playing in different regionals. In the Providence Regional, Oskar Jellvik had a goal and two assists as top-seeded Boston College beat Michigan Tech, 6-1, to advance to the regional final against defending National Champion Quinnipiac on March 31 at 4 p.m. Jellvik scored in the third period on a breakaway to seal the Eagles win. Later in the period, he added one of his two assists on a nice backward pass in the slot that resulted in a Cutter Gauthier goal.
Ryan Walsh, a 2023 sixth-round pick, had a pair of shots on the net in Cornell’s 3-1 win over Maine on March 28. In 34 games this season, he has 12 goals and 10 assists. Ty Gallagher and Boston University advanced to the Sioux Falls Regional final with a 6-3 victory over RIT and the Terriers get Minnesota in the championship game on Saturday (March 30).
Boston is currently two points ahead of the Panthers in the Atlantic Division and in the middle of their road trip that still has stops against the Washington Capitals (March 30), the red-hot Nashville Predators (April 2), and the Carolina Hurricanes (April 4) before returning home to play the Panthers. This stretch to close out the season is going to be a big test for the Black and Gold ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.