The writing was on the wall that changes were coming for an underachieving Bruins’ roster entering the March 7 trade deadline.
But rather than solely chip off bottom-six UFAs like Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau, Boston’s management opted to get a head start on what stands to be a busy summer — overhauling a significant portion of their roster while also accruing assets for the future.
In just four days, the Bruins dealt five lineup regulars in captain Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, Frederic, and Brazeau.
It was a series of transactions that jolted both Boston’s personnel and leadership hierarchy — while also injecting plenty of newcomers into the lineup in Casey Mittelstadt, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Henri Jokiharju.