Goucher: To Improve By Trade Deadline, Bruins Need To Get Creative
BOSTON (CBS) - With the March 2nd trade deadline coming almost as fast as the snowfall in Boston, the Bruins find themselves in a predicament. Coming off a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens that completed a season series sweep of the B's, it's clear the Boston Bruins need to shake things up before the postseason -- but have limited cap room to make a splash.
Bruins play-by-play announcer Dave Goucher joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich to talk about the Bruins' struggles.
"Six weeks ago, it was far from a guarantee they were going to make the playoffs. I do think they get there; the question is what can they do when they get there," said Goucher.
The Bruins currently sit six points ahead of the Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With nine games to go before the trade deadline, however, Goucher sees problems in the Bruins lineup that must be addressed if they want to make a playoff run.
"The holes they've had on this team from before the season started, and that is someone to play with [David] Krejci and [Milan] Lucic and someone to add to their defensive mix after trading [Johnny] Boychuck, those holes are still there," said Goucher.
Boston will have to trade a key player or draft picks in order to make a substantial lineup change, as they do not have much salary cap room to sign a big name player.
"They've got about three weeks to try and do it, and they're going to have to be pretty creative to do it," said Goucher.
Goucher cited the return of defenseman Zdeno Chara as something that has made the Bruins better in the final push before the postseason. Chara missed seven weeks after tearing ligaments in his knee on October 26.
The Bruins return to the ice Tuesday when they take on the Dallas Stars at the TD Garden at 7 p.m.
Listen below:
Hear every game of the 2014-15 Boston Bruins season on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers begins 30 minutes prior to every game!
