Columnists :: The Boston Sports Beat
Bruins need a star, or to sell at the deadline by Brandon Simes
Managing EditorWednesday Feb 3, 2010 First and foremost, rumors are just that, rumors. But, they can give an insight into a team’s strategy, whether or not they are all 100 percent true.
With that being said, reports say that the Bruins have given up their pursuit of a top talent like Ilya Kovalchuk in order to focus on lesser, older, and cheaper wingers to add some goal-scoring punch. Here’s where I hope the rumors are false.
Boston needs someone who can score-desperately-and not just another 50-point scorer or a mild upgrade from Michael Ryder. Boston needs a star. Kovalchuk would be a great fit, someone who could strike fear in opponents’ hearts when Boston trails by a goal in the third period. Right now the Bruins have no one capable of finishing Marc Savard’s deft passes. Miroslav Satan is not that man. Patrice Bergeron is battling it out without a suitable winger for his talents. Even the struggling David Krejci deserves better talent than he’s playing with right now.
So here’s my plea to management: make a couple of small moves if they don’t cost too much long term in order to improve depth, but don’t for a second think adding Ray Whitney or Keith Tkachuk will change the team’s ultimate playoff fate. Without a superstar to help carry the load when the rest of the team needs a helping hand, the season will continue much in the way that it has of late, with a whole lot of shootout losses and one- and two-goal outings from the offense. Good luck winning a round as a punchless seventh seed.
I’m not saying it’s time to panic, but if the Bruins decide this season is worth going for, it’s time to cash in on some of the team’s younger prospects and myriad top picks in the next few years. If management determines this team has a legitimate shot, it needs to go for the big move; if not, we might as well be sellers before the deadline hits.
|
|
|
Email
Print
Share