by Keagan Boots 4 hours ago
The Boston Bruins have been praised for their “culture” throughout their more than decade winning streak, spanning since the 2011 Stanley Cup team.
Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci were the constants at this stretch, but General Manager Don Sweeney’s ability to complement that great lead with great teammates and dressing room boys was just as impressive.
This was particularly evident in the Bruins’ reaction after their pre-deadline trade with the Washington Capitals, where Boston added forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov for his long run towards the postseason.
“We all find a way to bring them in and make them feel welcome,” Charlie Coyle said Friday in a video provided by the team. “You want this because you want them to be comfortable and able to play their game and be themselves right away. Anything we can do to support that. This team jumps over it.”
The move, which saw the Bruins relieved by four future draft picks and veteran Craig Smith, was made to bolster their already record-breaking roster.
“I’m blown away that we were able to bring players of this caliber to this team with what we already have,” Nick Foligno said in a video provided by the team on Friday. “I think it shows that we’re trying to do something special here. You get these players and I think that gives everyone here a little bit of confidence in the group that we have. Bringing more depth to this team and more great players – it’s exciting, I’m looking forward to bringing these guys here.”
With Hathaway and Orlov, the Bruins are hoping to solidify their defense from goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman while gaining some physicality on offense.
Hathaway and Orlov, both 31, have combined 35 points in 102 games and will face the Bruins in Vancouver on Friday, potentially pushing them to make their team debuts against the Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday. If that’s the case, head coach Jim Montgomery will start perfecting his lineup before Boston heads for a long Stanley Cup playoff run.