1.01.2021

Bruins/Sharks Draft & Off-Season Recaps

Happy New Year's! As everyone probably knows by now, unless you've been hibernating under a rock, the NHL has agreed to come back and play an abbreviated 56 game shortened 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic starting on January 13th. However, things won't be back to business, as it will be with four newly realigned divisions

The Boston Bruins come into the 2021 season after coming of an extremely successful regular season, where we saw them capture the President's Trophy, as the league's top point-getter at 44-14 before the season was interrupted on March 17th, with 12 games remaining to play. At the season's resumption the Bruins, once again, had Stanley Cup aspirations. This was until they were vanquished by the Tampa Bay Lightening in the second round of this year's modified Stanley playoffs. Personally, it seems that, like the rest of us, the time off during pandemic isolation had an adverse and noticeable effect on the team.

The Bruins entered the 2020 NHL draft with four picks. They were without a pick in the first round due to this spring's deadline Kase/Backes deal. All four of the Bruins draft selections are American-born players; two defenseman (Mason Lohrei and Mason Langenbrunner) with size and two forwards (Trevor Kuntar and Riley Duran) with top-6 scoring potential.

Of the four picks, two, Langenbrunner and Duran are still currently enrolled in High School. I'm finding it extremely difficult to project if they'll ever make the NHL roster.


Come free agency, the Bruins said "goodbye" to longtime blueline stalwart and fan favorite as Torey Krug left the team for the St. Louis Blues on a six-year deal. It's presumed Krug's power-play quarterback duties will be handed off to Matt Grzelcyk. Grzelcyk was also extended to a new four-year, $14.75 million, contract with the Bruins. 

Jake Debrusk, after much deliberation and speculation was finally awarded a new two- year contract of $7.35 million on a sort of "show me" deal. We saw the addition of rugged former Nashville Predators forward Craig Smith to the roster on a three-year deal. Smith brings grit and third line swagger, with a scorers touch, to a bottom six role. 

The Bruins also gave contract extensions to Karson Kuhlman, Kevan Miller, Zach Senyshyn and Jakob Zorbil, but waved goodbye to fourthliner Joakim Nordstrom who went to the Calgary Flames. 

Beloved long-time Bruin's Captain Zdeno Chara, announced after 14 years that he will be leaving the team for the Washington Capitals on a one-year, $795 thousand contract. Chara's departure sheds new light on the befuddling first-day-of-free-agency contract extension to Kevan Miller. The extension seems to me like an insurance policy the Bruins have taken out on themselves quietly knowing they would be moving on from Chara. I'll be diving into my thoughts on that in a separate blog post. 

With David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand projected not to be ready for the season's start, I expect several Providence prospects to be brought up to help fill the position. Players similar to Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederick, Zach Senyshyn, and Jakob ZorbiI. I expect a similar season output comparative to last year. 

I don't expect them to win the President's Trophy again. I do expect them to compete and play like the Boston Bruins but believe they will take a little bit of a step back with other teams in the Eastern Conference, as their rivals are getting younger and more skilled. I project the Bruins to be somewhere around a 75 point team.


 The San Jose Sharks come into the 2020-21 season after coming off an extremely disappointing regular season, where they were ravaged by player injuries to major core contributors, after advancing to the Western Conference Finals in the 2019-20 playoffs. They finished a floundering 29-36 and were one of only six teams to not qualify for the NHL modified Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sharks are on track to start training camp and the beginning of the regular season in Arizona due to Santa Clara county COVID-19 restrictions.

The Sharks had nine picks in the 2020 NHL draft, where they drafted four centers, six wingers, all exclusively undersized forwards, outside of 6'3 Brandon Coe. Where the Bruins went completely off the board with several of their picks. I feel the Sharks took a chance on upside and prioritized skill.


On the onset of free agency we saw the Sharks make two separate trades, with the Minnesota Wild for forward Ryan Donato and goaltender Devan Dubnyk, in an attempt to upgrade their goaltending and add a younger, but skilled, forward to the mix. The biggest story we saw come out of Shark's free agency is the departure of legend Joe Thornton to the Toronto Maple Leafs. From a leadership perspective - losing both Thornton and Pavelski in successive off-seasons was devastating to the Sharks. As we have learned through the years, when one legend departs, another will be behind him to fill their footsteps, and that was the case with Patrick Marleau on a one year, $700 thousand, deal. Doug Wilson also made good on his alleged previous handshake deal with Kevin Lebanc and signing him to a four-year $18.9 million deal. We also saw the Sharks extend Stefan Noesen to a $925 thousand deal while also welcoming Matt Nieto back to the organization on a one-year $700,000 deal. We saw goaltender Aaron Dell leave the Sharks for a role on the depth chart with Toronto. Lastly, Melker Karlsson and Lukas Radil both opted to leave the Sharks organization to test free agency. 

Personally, I do feel there will absolutely be improvements over last season, outside of their general core, but the Shark's roster will be filled out with AHL players out of necessity. However, there may be times where some of them will seem really out of place. Who's going to be the next young player to step up? The Sharks will need to find an identity early in the season to avoid getting lost in a stacked Western Conference. I project the Sharks to be somewhere around a 55 point team in the 2021 season.



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