Mailbag: Best Bruins team to never win the Stanley Cup?

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Appreciate the well thought out question, Frank.

Let's start up front.

Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov and Artemi Panarin headline 2026 UFA forwards.

However, I don't see any of them being Boston Bruins for the start of the 2026-2027 season.

In fact, I don't even know if any of them make it to free agency on July 1, 2026.

Now, is it possible that Eichel - having already won a cup - could want to sign a long term, big ticket deal to spend the second half of his career back home playing in front of family and friends, and for the original-six team he grew up cheering for?

Yes, it's possible - and in that case he would be my obvious first choice.

But at this moment I would say it's highly unlikely - Eichel, appears to be very happy in Vegas.

So with that said, my next best case, realistic target is exactly who Frank likes too.

Martin Necas.

Necas is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, has immense skill and potential, is still only 26 years old, and most importantly, doesn't seem to love playing for the Colorado Avalanche and doesn't seem too ambitious to keep playing in the shadow of the rockies beyond next season.

Simultaneously, there are reasons for him to desire Boston.

Geographically, being on the East Coast is a desire for many European players because it's the closest time zone, and shortest flight home from the U.S. to friends and family.

Necas, a native of Czechia, may very well value that intangible.

Speaking of Czechia, Necas is also good friends with Bruins forwards, and fellow countryman, David Pastrnak, and Pavel Zacha - which is a social positive.

Lastly from a hockey perspective, Boston would provide Necas the ability to play a major role while being relied upon as one of the true top forwards and players on the team.

Perhaps he would even be given the opportunity to play center in Boston which he's always wanted to play at the NHL level but hasn't always been given the runway to do so, certainly not in Carolina.

However, even if the presence of Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, possibly Pavel Zacha, and eventually James Hagens forces Necas to wing in Boston's top six, he'd still be a legit top line caliber forward added to the roster.

Necas would be Boston's 2nd best forward right now, and or next season only behind Pastrnak.

So when looking at the 2026 FA class, and possible traded options, Necas remains the most realistic addition in my opinion when it comes to a high impact forward mainly because he doesn't seem longed for Colorado, and because Boston would check a lot of boxes both on and off the ice.

If Necas isn't destined for Boston? Then Adrian Kempe would be by next want but I get the feeling he's going to remain a Los Angeles King for a long time.

Alex Tuch would be a nice addition as well but to be honest, the drop off from Necas, and even Kempe to a lesser extent, to Tuch is significant.

I like Tuch a lot - but if he's the best (external) forward Boston adds to their roster over the next year, then they wouldn't have done a good enough job.

The Bruins need to add a high impact forward before the start of the 2026-2027 season, and Tuch, while a nice add, would be consolation prize and the Bruins need to win.

Necas should be attainable for the Bruins just as much as anyone else. They'll have the money to spend in 2026 FA, and they have valuable assets that they could use to trade for him (with an extension in place) prior to Necas becoming a free agent next summer if the opportunity presents.

On the back end?

If Andrew Peeke leaves in FA, Connor Murphy would be a fine replacement or even upgrade at the deal Frank mentioned of call it 3 years, $4.5M.

Murphy, 32, isn't a stud by any means but he's a respectable hard working defenseman who could log minutes as the team continues improve at the NHL level while drafting and developing.

I do believe that especially after drafting promising forwards in James Hagens, William Moore, Cooper Simpson, as well as the rights acquisition of Will Zellers, and the fact that they drafted two left shot defensemen in 2025, that the Bruins will begin to target right handed defensemen in upcoming drafts to Frank's point - hopefully they can select an impact player, or two.

David Jiricek is a promising young defenseman but it will be tough to pry him away from Minnesota with him having RFA status as opposed to having UFA status.

Ramus Andersson is the one impact right shot defenseman - in his prime - to keep an eye on.

He headlines a rather underwhelming 2026 UFA right handed defensemen market, but he may very well get traded before then.

Andersson is probably the best, and most known / rumored to be available right shot defenseman option in the league over the next calendar year or so.

Does Boston try to trade for him sooner than later so that no one else does first?

Or do they stay patient, and hope he's still available for simply money next summer?

Time will tell.

Great question, Larry!

With over 100 years to choose from, there are certainly some impressive options.

I'll save my final answer to the end, but first let's start with in my lifetime (born in 1993).

Here are the six best Bruins teams, in my opinion, to not win the cup from '93 - present day:

6. 2003-2004 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw - Getty Images)

   
   

   In the final year before the 2004-2005 NHL Lockout, the Bruins won the Northeast Division, placed 2nd in the East behind the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, and 4th overall in the NHL.

   
   

   In Patrice Bergeron's rookie season, the Bruins were mainly led by captain Joe Thornton, Glen Murray, Sergei Samsonov, Mike Knuble, Brian Rolston, Martin Lapointe, Michael Nylander, Sergei Gonchar, and Rookie of the Year winner in goaltender, Andrew Raycroft.

   
   

   Unfortunately, they fell to the Montreal Candiens in Game 7 of Round 1 after blowing a 3-1 series lead. This team was deep and talented on paper but massively underachieved.

5. 2008-2009 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Greg Forwerck - Getty Images)

   
   

   The 2007-2008 Boston Bruins put the team back on the map in the league, and the city of Boston after consecutive years of missing the playoffs after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout.

   
   

   The 2008-2009 Bruins however built off the year before and took the league, and city by storm.

   
   

   A roster as deep, and talented as there was in the league that year the Bruins finished 1st in the East, and 2nd in the overall standings only behind the San Jose Sharks in the Presidents Trophy race.

   
   

   How good was this Bruins team on paper?

   
   

   Well, a sophomore David Krejci was Boston's 3rd line center behind Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard. Savard, Phill Kessel, Milan Lucic, Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Chuck Kobasew, Krejci, Michael Ryder, and Blake Wheeler rounded out Boston's top nine forwards (Marco Sturm was present as well but injured and out of the lineup for parts of the year, and all of playoffs) while defensively, Zdeno Chara, and Tim Thomas won personal hardware as the NHL's best defensemen, and goaltender respectively.

   
   

   The Bruins swept the Canadiens in a 1st round rematch of the year prior before falling to a less talented Carolina Hurricanes team in overtime of Game 7 in round 2.

   
   

   This year remains a "what could have been" season for Boston. Although defeating Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final, and then the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in the finals had they advanced past Carolina would have been a daunting task.

4. 2013-2014 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham - Getty Images)

   
   

   This team represented Boston's last run at the cup with a good chunk of their 2011 championship roster remaining - Bergeron, Chara, Marchand, Krejci, and Rask of course got another shot in 2019.

   
   

   Gone were Tim Thomas, Nathan Horton, Mark Recchi, Tyler Seguin, Michael Ryder, Rich Peverly, Andrew Ference, Thomas Kaberle - and in were replacements like Rask as a full time starter, Jarome Iginla, Riley Smith, Loui Eriksson, Carl Soderberg, Dougie Hamilton, and Torey Krug.

   
   

   The Bruins still had Chara, Seidenberg, Boychuck, McQuaid, Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Lucic, Kelly, Paille, Thornton, and Campbell - but there was some questions about how the team would respond to losing beloved teammates, and create chemistry with new ones.

   
   

   Turns out pretty seamlessly.

   
   

   The Bruins went on to win the President's Trophy for the first time since 1990, defeat the now Eastern Conference contending Detroit Redwings in round one before getting upset by the Montreal Canadiens.

   
   

   This Bruins team absolutely could have advanced to the Finals and perhaps even won had it not been for their underachieving round two.

3. 2018-2019 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Patrick Smith - Getty Images)

   
   

   Ah yes, the year that pains to relive despite mostly good memories.

   
   

   Losing at home in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the St. Louis Blues was devastating because of what could have been. The Bruins could have hoisted the Stanley Cup on Garden ice for the first time since 1970. Instead, they basically no-showed after the first 10 minutes of the 1st period and were handily defeated by the Blues en route to their first Stanley Cup.

   
   

   Now history will tell you the Bruins had an helpful path to the finals with Tampa Bay being swept in round one after setting the all time points record (at the time) - hold my beer says the 2022-2023 Bruins. But still, the Bruins shouldn't be faulted for playing the road in front of them and succeeding.

   
   

   This team had a great blend of still very good to elite veterans in Chara, Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Krejci, Torey Krug, and Tuukka Rask, to go along with young rising stars in Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and other young impactful players like Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk.

   
   

   This roster was very good on paper, although not totally complete or elite. They were a true top six winger short, and most everyone knew that. Still, they were good enough to come within one win of hoisting the cup and deserve that respect.

2. 2022-2023 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer - Getty Images)

   
   

   I'm going to get some pushback on this but I'm firm in my belief here.

   
   

   I know the Bruins set the NHL wins, and points record, but they also lost in the first round of the playoffs, and were never really able to hit their stride and find chemistry with their post trade deadline roster due to injuries and other factors.

   
   

   Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Jake DeBrusk for example all missed significant time before and AFTER the acquisitions of Tyler Bertuzzi, Garnett Hathaway, and Dmitri Orlov (in fact, Hall and Foligno being on LTIR gave Boston the cap space to have an aggressive trade deadline).

   
   

   Patrice Bergeron got hurt in game 82 and missed the first four games of round one, David Krejci also missed games in round one. In fact, the Bruins were up in their series against the Florida Panthers 3-1 without Bergeron, and Krejci in the lineup, and 0-3 after they returned. Now, is that because the team was worse with them than without? No, of course not - they were the teams top two centers. But the team as a whole just didn't have the reps with a fully healthy post trade deadline lineup until the middle of round one.
   

   So while the team on paper was stacked, and broke records, their chemistry wasn't there when it mattered most. Bergeron, Marchand, DeBrusk, Krejci, Pastrnak, Zacha, Bertuzzi, Hall, Coyle, McAvoy, H. Lindholm, Orlov, Swayman, Ullmark, etc. - the team was incredible on paper but the full mix never got their mojo for one reason or the other.

   
   

   All that said, this team would be at the top of teams in my life time not to win a cup, but they're 2nd only to ...

1. 2013 Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Steve Babineau - Getty Images)

   
   

   Now this season was shortened due to a brief lockout but in my opinion, this is the best Bruins team (in my lifetime) to not win a Stanley Cup.

   
   

   This team was still only two years removed from WINNING the cup, had most of the same roster, and made it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals rather than choking in the first round like the 2022-2023 Bruins.

   
   

   This team put up a great fight against the Chicago Blackhawks who were in the middle of a dynasty. The two teams even produced one of the better finals of the last 20 years despite not going to game 7 - which may have well happened had Patrice Bergeron been healthier.

   
   

   This Bruins team had PRIME Chara, Bergeron, Krejci, Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuck, Rask, young stars in Marchand, Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton, and Torey Krug, and champion veterans like Chris Kelly, Rich Peverly, Jaromir Jagr, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton, Dan Paille, Andrew Ference, and Adam McQuaid.

   
   

   They gave us one of they greatest sports comebacks of all time down 4-1 with less 12 minutes remaining in the 3rd period of Game 7, round one versus Toronto, and also one of the most satisfying underdog series wins sweeping the heavily favored and stacked Crosby, Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

   
   

   This rendition of the Bruins was talented, deep, tough, experienced, battle tested, and still relatively young at key positions. They were recent champions, and knew what it took to do it again, they just fell ever so short.

   
   

   If your skeptical of this team versus the 2022-2023 Bruins, ask yourself this: Who wins in a best of seven playoff series?

   
   

   NOW

   
   

   With all that said, none of the above teams are the best Bruins team ALL TIME to not win a championship.

   
   

   But before we get to that team, I also just want to shout out the 1987-1988, and 1989-1990 Boston Bruins teams. They were a little bit before my time but also made it to the Stanley Cup Finals led by Ray Bourque, and Cam Neely and may have likely won a cup or two had it not been for going up against Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers Dynasty.

   
   

   ALRIGHT

   
   

   For my final answer of the franchise's best all time team to not win the Stanley Cup ...

   
   

   In my opinion, that team is ...

   
   

   1970-1971 Big Bad Boston Bruins

   
   

   

   (Photo Credit: Walter loss Jr. - Getty Images)

   
   

   This team, and season was sandwiched between the 1969-1970, and 1971-1972 Stanley Cup Championship teams with just about the same roster.

   
   

   In 1970-1971, the Bruins roster had four hall of famers in Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk (all of whom are among the top 100 players of all time - and in the cases of Orr and Esposito, among the very greatest of all time), and Jerry Cheevers.

   
   

   Joining them were other Bruins greats like Ken Hodge, Wayne Cashman, John McKenzie, Fred Stanfield, and Derek Sanderson.

   
   

   The Bruins had 57 wins in 78GP that year, led the league with 121 points, and a team plus/minus goal differential of +192.

   
   

   They were absolutely dominant.

   
   

   Boston had four players with over 100 points including 152 from Esposito, and 139 from Orr (116 from Bucyk, and 105 from Hodge) - and then unparalleled secondary scoring. 79 points from Cashman, 77 from McKenzie, 76 from Stanfield, 63 from Sanderson, 59 from Westfall etc.

   
   

   Unfortunately, this team ran into one of the greatest goalies of all time in hockey hall of famer and one of the 100 best players of all time in Ken Dryden. The catch, however, is that it was Dryden's rookie year, and he only started in 6 games prior to that years playoffs - he was a relative unknown at the time but the Bruins found out who he was, and who he was going to be.

   
   

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That does it for this week, thanks for taking the time to read, and participate!