The Boston Bruins can't let the NHL trade deadline pass without making an impactful move (or two) to a roster that desperately needs a boost of scoring depth.
A lack of secondary scoring was labeled as a "major concern" by general manager Don Sweeney when he met with reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday.
The Bruins rank 27th in 5-on-5 goals, and 22 of those 39 tallies have been scored by the David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. That's not the type of balance you want to see. Acquiring a top-six forward would be a huge upgrade to a Bruins forward group that remains too top-heavy.
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B's president Cam Neely did an interview with WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday morning and was asked about the trade deadline.
“The deadline is looming, so we kind of have a good idea of what our lineup looks like when we’re healthy,” Neely said. “And we feel like we can use some help along the way and that’s what we’re going to try to do."
Cassidy gives candid take on Jake DeBrusk's struggles in Bruins lineup
Are the Bruins actively looking at the trade market and exploring their options?
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“For sure," Neely said. "There are some challenges, especially with the Canadian teams. Players that go into Canada would have to quarantine for a couple of weeks. That makes it a little more challenging dealing with the Canadian teams because not only would they lose a player they trade, they also wouldn't get (acquired) players for a couple weeks. That's going to be some kind of a challenge for those teams.
"There’s teams that you see now that are starting to fall out of any chance of making the playoffs, so those are the teams you kind of focus on.”
The Bruins will get a good look at some of those teams fading from the playoff race over the month of March. Seven of the team's 11 remaining games this month are against the bottom three teams in the East Division -- the Devils, Sabres and Rangers. The Devils and Sabres both are teams to watch as likely sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
Whether it's scoring help or adding a veteran defenseman to a mostly young blue line, the Bruins cannot afford to stand pat at this year's trade deadline. This team is one or two pieces away from having a very strong chance of winning the Stanley Cup. It's an opportunity the Bruins front office must seize.