VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In the big picture, the Bruins draft isn’t terribly surprising.

By all accounts, they went way off the board in the first round with the selection of John Beecher. That set the tone for a five-pick draft which brought in a variety of players.

It wasn’t a bad draft, but it certainly wasn’t at the top of anyone’s list of winners. That spot belongs to the Hurricanes, Devils, or Avalanche. The Bruins draft wasn’t nearly as bad as that of the Islanders or Blue Jackets, either.

But to come away without a trade – a near impossibility with the salary cap situation not settled until afterwards – and with five young players who won’t be NHL-ready for years means the rest of this important offseason will be an uphill battle.

Again, this approach isn’t surprising.

A year ago, the Bruins didn’t have a first-round pick, ending up with Swedish defenseman Axel Andersson (who stayed overseas) in the second round. Jakub Lauko is the most impressive and near-ready player from that draft after he performed well at the Memorial Cup.

Advertisement

There’s a chance, perhaps, Pavel Shen comes over to North America after opening some eyes as well, according to Assistant General Manager Scott Bradley.

The year before, Urho Vaakanainen was a solid selection, with Jack Studnicka also emerging as an elite prospect.

Before that, though, Don Sweeney drafts have tended to be met with a lukewarm reaction. Trent Frederic (a player some in Vancouver compared to Beecher) as the Bruins second first-round selection in 2016 opened some eyes, as did infamously passing on Mat Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot in the 2015 first round.

That brought in Jake DeBrusk, but it’ll always be looked at as a missed opportunity with three first-rounders in a row and coming away with none of those stars.

It’s going to be a while before this draft yields results, which is why there’s been an apathetic view. Beecher is headed to Michigan and won’t be around for a couple years, as Sweeney wants to see his game grow.

Third-rounder Quinn Olson is a year away from going to Minnesota-Duluth, while Russian defenseman Roman Bychkov is a question mark to come to North America at all, including this week’s development camp, according to Bradley. Undersized Finnish forward Matias Mantykivi remains a project, and Jake Schmaltz is a third-liner in the USHL.

Advertisement

“I don’t know, not so special,” Mantykivi said. “Just a calm boy from Finland. Nothing else.”

Schmaltz compared his game to Zach Parise, but he still has some work to do before he’s playing near a professional level.

“I think just working hard on the forecheck, just creating havoc and just being a positive guy on the bench,” he said. “Just a good locker room guy and just doing everything I can to help the team win.”

That’s not to say none of them has a shot in the NHL, or even with the Bruins. It’s just going to take a significant amount of time before anyone can grade how Sweeney did.

Given the salary cap situation and the decisions that need to be made, these picks probably weren’t going to be part of the solution this season. It’s just impossible to tell how they will develop.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.