What's the plan?

The Boston Bruins have been shut out in two consecutive games, and while Phil Kessel has returned to the ice with another team this week, one has to wonder if general manager Peter Chiarelli has a master plan to increase his team's goal scoring

Phil Kessel returned to action on Tuesday night, after missing the first month of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Only problem is, he wasn't donning the spoked-B.

Kessel is now a Maple Leaf, and in his debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had 10 shots-on-goal in nearly 24 minutes of ice-time. Sure, none of those shots went into the net, but once the young sniper shakes off his rust, those goals will begin to pile up.

But again, that won't solve the Boston Bruins' scoring woes.

The absence of last season's top line (Milan Lucic, Marc Savard, and Kessel) magnifies that problem. And while Lucic and Savard will eventually return from injuries this year, Kessel's not walking back through that door.

Analyzing the Kessel trade is old news. It's in the past. There's no turning back. But those who were critical of trading the team's leading goal scorer for future draft picks knew that this day would come.

They knew that Kessel's return to the ice (with another club) would spark the debate. They knew that their Bruins would, at some point this season, struggle to put the puck in the net. It's only a normal reaction to losing your biggest goal scoring threat in exchange for nothing that will help you this season.

When Lucic and Savard return, things will get better. But the problem won't be solved. The Bruins need a goal scorer, someone that's going to replace Kessel's production. And only one man can pull off that type of acquisition.

It's time to start wondering whether or not Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has a plan to do so. I used Wednesday's show to give Chiarelli the benefit of the doubt. His master plan has to be better than this.

Listen to Wednesday's show in its entirety by clicking here.

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