Bruins’ 2018 Draft Revisited 5 Years Later

*This was published ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Today is the day. The 2022 NHL Entry Level Draft begins tonight in Montreal. While the Boston Bruins do not have a first-round pick after the Hampus Lindholm trade at this year’s deadline, there is still plenty of news and rumors around the team. There are reports that the team is interested in trying to trade into the first round or that they may be interested in making a draft day deal for J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks.

Whatever happens, the importance of this draft for the Bruins cannot be emphasized enough. General manager (GM) Don Sweeney was recently extended, which has brought a lot of attention to his lack of success in previous NHL drafts in the past month. He needs a win this year, both for his own legacy as well as the future of the team, which is seriously lacking in some exciting prospects.

The similarities between the two drafts cannot go beyond where they are picking. Four years from now, the Bruins need to have a few of their selections from this year’s draft as legitimate players on their roster. Talent can be found and developed in the later rounds of the draft. The team needs to make the move to go younger in the next few seasons and the talent they draft this year and next will need to turn into impactful players within the next three to five years. Otherwise, things will begin to look bleak after the inevitable retirements of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.