What's Next for the Bruins?

The Bruins have come together as a strong, cohesive unit.

To say that the Bruins have had to trump adversity this season would be an understatement at best. Picked as a probable playoff contender in the preseason, the team struggled out of the gate and had many wondering if they were destined for a year of disappointment.

G Tim Thomas struggled early in the year, freshly off inking a four-year contract extension. Many consider his Vezina Trophy performance of last season both a fluke and a distant memory as he has been nothing but an adequate goaltender throughout most of his career. Then, Milan Lucic was victim of injury which really deflated the squad. As the team's lead aggressor, Lucic provides an element of play on the ice that is almost impossible to replace. At the season's inception, the Bruins roster was much different than it currently stands.

The team has seemingly undergone a transformation this season, moving away from its typical veteran leadership and relying heavily on the youngsters. Marc Savard has missed a majority of the season due to injury, Zdeno Chara hasn't been the as offensive as he has been in the past, and as mentioned Thomas' play has been disappointing at best.

The emergence of G Tuukka Rask has taken a lot of the pressure off of the struggling veteran Thomas. Rask, the league leader in GAA (2.02) & save percentage (92.9%), has asserted himself as the team's present & future between the pipes. The B's simply play a better, more inspired brand of hockey when the youngster is minding the net. In addition, after missing much of last season with concussion issues, Patrice Bergeron is reminding people why he's such an exciting talent. As the team's leader in points (50), he has greatly facilitated the offense when he's out on the ice.

Even though the team swung and missed in both free agency and at the trade deadline in the pursuit of a bigtime name, they've received contribution across the board in the form of guys like Vladimir Sobotka, David Krejci, and Marco Sturm. In addition, the Bruins have received tremendous aid in the guys that have come over via trade: Daniel Paille has provided excellent energy on the ice, and Dennis Seidenberg has really helped to shore up the defense since his arrival.

While many opined when the team decided to trade Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs, the Bruins stand to benefit immensely from the decision as they will look to lock up the 5th or 6th overall pick in this year's draft that has many experts clamoring as one of the deepest in talent over the last decade.

The Bruins resurgence from the cellar this season and current playoff push is a tremendous start to the future of the franchise--but merely just that, a start. If the Bruins hope to make an eventual run to the cup, they'll have to acquire a front-line scorer that won't disrupt the team's chemistry, complicating GM Peter Chiarelli's job quite a bit in the near future.

One last thing, Coach Claude Julien is one of the best in the business. Plain and simple.