Bruins’ Top Offseason Priority Clears After Playoff Exit

The Bruins did their best to keep things interesting, but it wasn’t long before it became clear that the Florida Panthers were the better club in their second-round series, which ended Friday.

Boston simply lacked offensive firepower.

It’s easy to want to go big-game hunting in the offseason, but after struggling through a series with excellent goaltending and little to show for it, the Bruins need to do just that. Jeremy Swayman has arrived, so you can’t keep letting him lose games where he’s the greatest player on the floor.

The Bruins scored 13 total goals against the Panthers, exceeding the two-goal threshold in Game 1 but failing to do so for the rest of the six-game series. Do you believe that is sustainable?

Boston has some very enticing components to develop with. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm remain signed for the foreseeable future, while Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Andrew Peeke are still on long-term contracts. Mason Lohrei, John Beecher, Justin Brazeau, and Matthew Poitras are building blocks. Swayman is entering restricted free agency, and while keeping him up for the future is your #1 objective this offseason, there’s little chance he’ll play anywhere other than Boston next season.

If the Bruins can add a real top-six scorer, the pieces should fall into place beautifully.

Zach Hyman is one of the most consistent players around, and he just had his finest scoring season with the Edmonton Oilers. He will be a free agent. Jake Guenztel and Elias Lindholm, both at similar stages of their careers, have the potential to transform the Boston Bruins’ top line into a devastating combination alongside Brad Marchand and possibly each other. Steven Stamkos and Sam Reinhart, who you just witnessed, are prime examples of man-advantage players.

You may draw broad assumptions about Pastrnak’s lack of goals, but seeing things unfold against Florida, it became evident that it wasn’t due to a lack of chances. For long minutes, Boston’s offense was led by one man, as Sergei Bobrovsky’s great performance was overshadowed by Swayman’s.

The Bruins will have more than $20 million to spend this offseason, so there’s no reason not to make an effort to aid the guy.