The three time AHL cup winning
Boston Bruins have reached a rebuilding faze after having gone heavily with veterans in order to stay competitive and being a contender for many seasons. But with the retirement of beloved captain
Joe Sakic, a new era has begun in
Boston. As the season kicked off, his #19 sweater was raised to the rafters. Having captained three AHL championships, he not only cemented his way into Bruins history, but also the AHL Hall of Fame.
The first part of life after
Sakic began last season when the
Bruins decided to trade it's own 1st round draft pick (Cody Franson) along with the acquired 1st and 3rd round picks (Colin Wilson and Jesse Joensuu) from the Kings to the Flames for center
Patrice Bergeron. We didn't like giving up two first rounders when we obviously needed to rebuild, but getting a player like
Patrice filled a need as well as we like his overall play and the fact he's good in many areas, even though he's no
Joe Sakic.
Another
Bruin great in
Milan Hejduk was also dealt last season when the rebuilding began. In return the
Bruins picked up Was' 1st round pick (
John Carlson) as well as
Eric Nystrom. In
Carlson we feel we get a steady and all-round d'man who will be a big part of our future. But in the same time we were sad to deal a classy player like
Hejduk who also was a member of the golden three championships.
With our 1st round pick last season, we were able to draft
Jakub Voracek with a late pick. Rumours say that he might be on the move in order to bring in another type of player that the club needs. But make no mistake about it, keeping him is not a bad option considering he's still a player learning and developing.
Going into the new season,
Bruins management felt that something the team lacked was a center that could help
Patrice Bergeron with the offensive workload. Top priority was rookie
Logan Couture, who was high on the
Bruins wish list at the rookie draft and the club felt they didn't want him to slip away from them again.
So when veteran winger Mike Knuble along with solid d'man Ryan O'Byrne were offered to the Minnesota Wild, a deal was struck and
Logan "The Natural" Couture became a proud member of the black-and-gold. All of his new teammates, coaches and the rest of the
Bruins management have been impressed with how quickly he's been able to find his game and a home in
Boston. So far, it sure looks like a great pick-up for the
Bruins.
Everyone in and around
Boston have realized that this season won't see one of the stronger teams this franchise has had. In fact, this might be the first time the beloved
Bruins might not even make the playoffs. Management will continue to look for improvements and try to add pieces for the future. It might take a season or two, but getting a contender sooner or later is something those great fans in Beantown deserve and expect.
