The Boston Bruins have faced their fair share of adversity this year, and they’re only 3 months into their season. With injuries all throughout their defensive corpse, including Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy, and their star forward Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins came out of the gate struggling and didn’t get much help along the way.

Despite these injuries, the Bruins have been able to scrape together enough points in the conference standings to hold onto the last playoff spot. If the season ended today, the Bruins would be a wildcard team facing the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. After going from a team who competed for the number one seed last season to a team just barely in the playoffs, the question being asked is: Do the Bruins need to bring in someone new?

Many have talked about the Bruins’ need for more of a tougher presence on the ice, but also at the same time a productive one. Since there are not many high scoring enforcers in the NHL nowadays, Boston’s options are limited. One of the Bruins’ rumored targets may not be a new face after all, as Elliotte Freidman reported on twitter that former Bruin and 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Milan Lucic may be headed back to Boston for the right price. Lucic, a fan favorite amongst Bruins fans throughout the entirety of his career wearing black and gold was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2015, and then signed a seven year, $42 million deal in 2016 with the Edmonton Oilers.

Although fans would love to be reunited with Lucic, as would his former teammates, his contract may be a big concern because of how much money the Bruins would have to pay him at this stage in his career. Even with their contractual concerns, the Bruins have not completely ruled a trade involving Lucic out of their plans this season.

The other former Bruin that could be packing his bags and returning to Boston is the team’s 2006 draft pick, Phil Kessel. Before being traded at the beginning of the 2009-2010 season, Kessel was one of the Bruins’ most productive players on offense, who also wasn’t afraid to throw his body around and be physical. Kessel, who is now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is being shopped by the team to see what they can get for him, and the Bruins could not have a more perfect fit to add to their roster.

Regardless of who it is, the Bruins will more than likely be acquiring someone who they believe can improve the team both offensively and keeping others healthy by defending teammates on the ice with their physical level of play. Even though the team says certain players’ contracts could be a concern, at the end of the day there is plenty of money to give in this front office, especially if it means making a run at winning the Stanley Cup.