The Boston Bruins are on the brink of elimination from the 2024 NHL Playoffs. After winning Game 1 against the Florida Panthers in dominant fashion, they have lost three consecutive, scoring just five goals along the way. The Panthers have been able to expose a gap in the Bruins roster that they must address this offseason: the lack of a legitimate top-line goalscorer outside of David Pastrnak.
Bruins’ Offensive Struggles
The Bruins experienced difficulty finding the back of the net this postseason before their tilt with Florida: they failed to score more than two goals in each of the final three games of their first round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs as well. In all, they have scored two goals or fewer in six of their last seven games. While they were able to ride the stellar play of netminder Jeremy Swayman past the Maple Leafs, it is simply impossible to find serious success in the playoffs scoring at such a low rate.
These struggles, while unfortunate, may not come as a surprise to some. The departures of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Taylor Hall after last season led to a depleted forward group compared to the explosive 2022-23 roster. As a result, the team averaged nearly a half goal per game fewer this campaign than last. In 2022-23, eight members of the Bruins reached the 50-point mark; that number shrunk to four in 2023-24. On top of the lost production, the departure of these players meant that teams could single out Pastrnak, as they had fewer threats to worry about in the black and gold. His numbers regressed, scoring 14 fewer goals this regular season than last.
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Pastrnak has outwardly struggled at times this postseason. Teams have targeted him physically, and he has been unable to take over games like we have seen him do in the past. Adding another scoring threat to play alongside their star right winger would take some of the pressure off and make it more difficult for opponents to stymie the Bruins’ top line.
Players to Target
The Bruins have several options to address this need, the most obvious being through free agency. Five players who are set to become unrestricted free agents in the 2024 offseason scored 30 or more goals in 2023-24: Sam Reinhart (57), Jonathan Marchessault (42), Steven Stamkos (40), Tyler Toffoli (33), and Jake Guentzel (30). With a considerable amount of…
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