We may never know how much of a chance the Bruins really had in landing John Tavares, who on Sunday inked a seven-year deal with the Toronto Maples. The deal is a signing bonus heavy one that will pay Tavares $11 million a year.

With the exception of one key component, the Bruins could match, if not offer better than the Leafs had to offer.

$11 million per season, check, a Stanley Cup contending team, check, a star player to play alongside, check, and a promising future filled with young talent, check. However, the biggest difference was Toronto offering something to Tavares the Bruins simply could not: a chance to come home.

Instead of seeing number 91 in black and gold for the next seven seasons, the Bruins will be figuring out ways to slow down number 91 in blue and white who will be playing for the team he grew up a fan of in his hometown of Toronto.

"I would’ve preferred it not in our division," a smiling Sweeney said about losing out on the Tavares sweepstakes.

The Bruins future is bright, no doubting that. But with a star like Tavares locked in for the next seven years the future would have been more exciting for sure.

With the Bruins being a finalist for free agent Ilya Kovalchuk and now Tavares, the organization knows they're on player's radars and are thankful for that.

"It’s, obviously, a reflection of our current players and a testament to them. I think stylistically, to our coaches, to the organization, to the support from ownership, with this facility, overall, it’s a reflection of our entire organization, and I’ve said all along, it’s about winning," Sweeney said.

"That’s the mandate that we’re trying to put forward to all of our players, whether it was the development camp guys or the highest-level free agency players that we’re trying to attract and to be a part of what we’re trying to do."

The Atlantic division was a difficult one a season ago, producing three of the top four teams in the conference. The Maple Leafs and Capitals finished tied for third in the east with 105 points. Now with Tavares added to the mix, the road through the Atlantic is much more difficult.

Trying to measure the Bruins alongside the Maple Leafs and Lightning shows an uphill battle for the Bruins who fell one point short of the one seed in the Atlantic last season.

Looking back to their seven game series with the Maple Leafs in April, the Bruins were able to move onto the second round thanks to their ability to make Auston Matthews disappear. A heavy dose of Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy led to just one goal for Matthews. Despite improving defensively on Sunday by adding former Devils defenseman John Moore for the next five seasons, the Bruins do not have a second defensive pairing that will help them slow down John Tavares if Chara and McAvoy are assigned to the Matthews line.

After moving past the Maple Leafs, the Bruins struggled putting the puck in the net thanks to the defensive depth the Lightning have to offer. For about 45 minutes each game, the Bruins were stuck trying to solve the defensive puzzles that are Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Never mind the talent that Dan Giardi, Anton Stralman and Braydon Coburn bring to the table. That two headed monster that is Hedman/McDonagh is not going anywhere anytime soon as McDonagh and the Lightning came to agreements on a seven-year contract extension Sunday afternoon.

The addition of Moore makes the Bruins slightly better, but no move made on Sunday will give you confidence they'll finish ahead of the Lightning or Maple Leafs next season.

The Bruins have several needs that still have to be addressed with a top-six right wing and a third line center being two of those. Despite eight NHL ready defensemen, it doesn't sound like a trade will be made to fix those needs. With no trade in sight, it's up to the talent inside the organization to fill those needs.

"Potentially, but we have some strong internal candidates," Sweeney said about filling the right wing position. I think Danton Heinen deserves an opportunity; I think Ryan Donato deserves an opportunity. We have other players that we’re going to take a look at."

When asked about filling the third line center vacancy, it was much of the same from Sweeney.

"It’s likely internal at this point, yes, and we have some very strong candidates" said Sweeney. "We have some young players that certainly want that slot, and we have a couple of guys internally that I think can move up and play that slot."

After failing to come to terms on a new deal with Anton Khudobin, the Bruins turned their attention to another veteran and signed former Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak to be the backup to Tuukka Rask.

Stuck behind a very defensively poor Islanders team inflated Halak's numbers a bit. Between a better defensive team in front of him, combined with a lighter workload, Sweeney expects to see a better Halak out there for the next two seasons.

"Again, we looked at that signing from every angle. We obviously had familiarity with Mike Dunham having come over from the Islanders," said Sweeney. "Even Jaro’s (Halak's) save percentage taking a drop, most of it can be pinned on a penalty killing situation, where his numbers, as well as the team, dropped. We’re third in the league in penalty killing, and hopefully it doesn’t drop off. Those are certain areas – his action has always been above what’s expected for the most part."

Without any more moves between now and the opening of the 2018-19 campaign, the Bruins are expected to be a better team. Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk should be able to improve after excellent rookie seasons. Brandon Carlo should hopefully bounce back from a season that saw him battle through some on-ice issues as well as injuries. Heinen and Anders Bjork are expected to play bigger roles with the team after inconsistencies followed them throughout the year. Then there's the unknown potential of players like Donato, Jack Studnicka and Urho Vaakanainen.

On paper the Bruins may not look like one of the two best teams in the Atlantic division, but the same was said at this very time last summer.

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