Let's get the obvious out of the way first: If Charlie McAvoy's injury turns out to be serious enough that it keeps him out into or through the playoffs, it would be a major blow to the Bruins' chances of making a Cup run.
If it's not that serious, though, and he only misses a couple games or even a couple weeks (like Patrice Bergeron), then the Bruins will be OK. They've put themselves in position to survive obstacles like this through both their on-ice play and the moves general manager Don Sweeney made at the trade deadline.
As of now, all we know is that McAvoy suffered a "lower body injury" 37 seconds into Saturday's game and didn't return. Coach Bruce Cassidy had no update on his status after the game.
The Bruins are in a great place in the standings and are already virtually locked into one of the top three spots in the Atlantic Division. They're not going to fall down to a wild card spot, which means they don't have to worry about facing a division winner in the first round.
That doesn't mean the Bruins have nothing to play for, of course. Winning the division (and likely the top seed in the conference) certainly has its perks, and that's something that is still well within their reach. You'd much rather face the second wild card team (Panthers? Blue Jackets? Hurricanes?) in the first round than the Maple Leafs.
But what it does mean is that the Bruins have some wiggle room. If their play slips a little with Bergeron and McAvoy out and they end up finishing second (or even third) in the division, it's not the end of the world, as long as their top guys are healthy for the opening round. The B's could easily end up second even if their play doesn't slip given how good the first-place Lightning are.
They also have some wiggle room with their lineup. We all knew the trade for Rick Nash was a big deal, but the acquisitions of Nick Holden, Tommy Wingels and Brian Gionta were mostly dismissed as depth moves. But here's the thing: You need depth. We're seeing that right now.
All three of those guys have already gotten a chance to play due to either injuries or strategic benchings of younger players, and they've all contributed. Wingels had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over the Hurricanes. Gionta had two assists in Thursday's win over the Penguins. Holden has played well the last two games and set up the game-tying goal in Saturday's win over the Canadiens with a nice slap pass right to the stick of Jake DeBrusk.
"When you have guys who can come in and have that experience and are able to step into a lineup, they're also great guys, which makes it very easy to transition into a room," Brad Marchand said. "It's been awesome. It's exciting. I think they're excited to be part of a good group, and we're excited that they went out and got some really good players to come in and complement everybody."
Again, all of this comes with the caveat that Bergeron and McAvoy are ready to go for the playoffs. No amount of depth can replace what those guys give you, and you're going to need them to make a deep run. But until then, being able to plug in veterans who can contribute and being in a secure spot in the standings gives the Bruins some crucial flexibility.
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