The Boston Bruins have new life. Bruins General Manager, Don Sweeney, stepped up to the plate before the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline locked in the Bruins’ roster on April 12. The 2020-2021 season has had ups and downs for the Bruins thus far, and Sweeny wanted to add players to the middle of the lineup that would bolster the franchise’s push for Stanley Cup glory in May and June.
After an embarrassing 8-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday, April 11, at TD Garden, Sweeney picked up the phone and made a deal that added key faces to the Bruins lineup. Late Sunday night, just hours before the 3pm deadline on April 12, the Boston Bruins acquired Mike Reilly from Ottawa as well as Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick. Many called this a steal. Taylor Hall won the Hart Trophy, the NHL’s “Most Valuable Player” award in 2018 as a part of the New Jersey Devils, and he still has promise as he is only 29 years old. An additional forward, Curtis Lazar, and Mike Reilly, a much needed left defenseman, are also great, young talents who have made an immediate impact on the Bruins roster.
The stats speak for themselves: The Bruins are 4-0 since the trade deadline last Monday. They beat Buffalo, Hall and Lazar’s old stomping grounds, 3-2 in a shootout the day after the trade and went on to dominate a strong New York Islanders team twice (4-1, 3-0) and get back at the Capitals (6-3) on Sunday the 18th. Taylor Hall has scored 2 goals in his first four games with the Bruins after scoring 2 goals in 37 games with the Sabres thus far during the 2020-2021 season. David Krejci, Hall’s line mate, has also lit it up with 3 goals and 2 assists in 4 games. Craig Smith, who finishes out the Krejci and Hall line, also has 5 points in the last 4 games. Ultimately, this takes some pressure off the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line who was doing most, if not all, of the heavy lifting before Sweeny sprang into action.
With defenseman Mike Reilly making an immediate impact on the blue line, and the power-play, and Curtis Lazar giving the Bruins’ bottom six forwards a spark, the Bruins are in great shape as they head down the home stretch toward another playoff push. It has been 10 years since Boston has seen a Stanley Cup, and we shall see if this newly rejuvenated lineup can get the job done when the seas get rough in the eyes of Lord Stanley.
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