Yesterday’s press conference involving the Boston Bruins brain trust offered some insight into their offseason plans. Read on for the latest.
Boston Bruins front office faces some tough decisions this summer.
THE BOSTON GLOBE: Kevin Paul Dupont reports Boston Bruins team president Cam Neely listed the defense corps, right wing and backup goaltending as the three key roster areas his club must address before next season. The club lacked sufficient blueline depth to support aging rearguards Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, they could lose right wing Loui Eriksson to free agency and it doesn’t sound as though current backup Jonas Gustavsson will be re-signed.
Fluto Shinzawa believes it won’t be easy for Bruins GM Don Sweeney to upgrade the defense, as it could cost them some young assets like “Ryan Spooner, Frank Vatrano, or their picks and prospects.” Given the club’s desperation to improve, Sweeney could be squeezed into making a bad deal.
CSNNE.COM: Joe Haggerty believes the Bruins will try to increase their efforts to “potentially snag young, potentially available D-men like Jacob Trouba, Mathew Dumba, and Sami Vatanen among others this summer.” While they could also go the trade route to improve at right wing, possible unrestricted free agent options include Kyle Okposo, “Troy Brouwer, David Jones, and Shane Doan (somewhat wishful thinking with this one for the Bruins).”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins have over $48 million invested in 12 players for next season. Blueliner Torey Krug (who they can’t afford to lose) is an RFA with arbitration right this summer coming off a one-year, $3.4 million contract and will likely seek at least $5.5 million annually on a long-term extension. They must also decide if they’re re-signing RFA Brett Connolly and if they’ll re-sign or replace Lee Stempniak (who could be an affordable, short-term re-signing), Kevan Miller, Zach Trotman and John-Michael Liles. If upgrading the defense is their top priority, the latter three probably won’t be back.
Going after good young defensemen like Trouba, Dumba or Vatanen will be costly. The Bruins do have some depth in prospects plus two picks in this year’s first round, but I’m not convinced that’s enough to pry Trouba out of Winnipeg or Dumba away from Minnesota. Vatanen might be a possibility, though with the Anaheim Ducks’ depth in defensemen they could use Vatanen as bait for a scoring forward.
Haggerty believes Okposo would look great in a Bruins jersey, but he’ll cost over $6 million annually. Brouwer would be a cheaper short-term addition, Jones is past his best-before date and Doan isn’t leaving the Coyotes.
I like the idea of Okposo in Boston. Good luck with the D. Maybe their two first rounds this year for Trouba ( and then pay him) ?
SilverSeven,
If it only took this seasons first round picks then I’d say go right ahead (which, it won’t). Even if it were a high end prospect and 2 first round picks (2016) for one of the RFA defenseman that could be moved this off season… still, right on board with that. We’ll find out in the off season what these defenseman everyone has been drooling over are actually worth on the trade market… everyone has done their fair share of speculation, myself included. I’m in the minority I believe where I think the majority of fans will be disappointed with the returns that these defenseman will net. They’re all good players right now, high ceiling, but look at recent transactions involving high end defenseman.
– Seth Jones (4th overall) for Ryan Johansen (C)
– Griffin Reinhart (4th overall) for NYI 2015 first round pick (16th) and 2015 second round pick (33rd)
– Dougie Hamilton (9th overall) for CGY 2015 first round pick (15th), 2015 second round pick (45th) and 2015 second round pick (52nd)
Jacob Trouba (9th overall)
Mathew Dumba (7th overall)
Sami Vatanen (106th overall)
By all means these defenseman, if moved, would bring back some great assets but I don’t see these players bringing back the HAUL that some have speculated. Two 1st round picks and a level A prospect is right on board, or a top 6 roster player under contract and similar in age. Keep in mind also that these players also have to be signed, many are looking for a big contracts $5m+ per season, long term… you’re not moving a player that’s already signed to a reasonable contract. There’s more value in a player who’s locked up and at a reasonable cap hit… that’s the day and age we live in with the NHL cap era. There teams can certainly keep these players but be prepared to get pinched with the cap, maybe not this season but in the next few. There is value in moving a player even if the package isn’t lights out… having the cap flexibility to sign other restricted free agents on your team and allow for the space long term is a value as well.
Minnesota Wild = $64m dedicated to 15 players next season
Winnipeg Jets = $52.5m dedicated to 19 players next season
Anaheim Ducks = $53.5m dedicated to 16 players next season
Kyle will be overpaid hopefully not by Bruins. Playing with Tavares has increased his value considerably. Don’t get me wrong I like the payer.. Not at 6 million plus..
Vancouver would probably dole out 6.8 to Okposo to “re-vitalize the Sedin line” …..
Go out & sign Yandle; #1 offensive, Goligoski; soft #1 or solid #2 2 way, or Hamhuis; strong #3 2 way. Any would help Boston & cost nothing more than cash. Each brings different strengths to the roster but all are solid options. A few B grade UFA options that would still help & again not cost any current roster players or assets, Demers; solid 2 way 3/4 guy, or Polak; solid penalty killer, good honest defensive guy who hits & blocks shots 4/5 guy. Why give up a roster asset when the problem can be addressed in the UFA market.
Krug is Boston’s #2 Dman now, is transitioning into their #1 & will be Boston’s #1 by the end of the 2017-18 season.
I like the Brouwer option but he will be in fairly high demand as a UFA but is more the type of player teams would show restraint on when throwing out cash in the UFA market & should be able to be had in the 4 to 4.5 range. Similar to Belesky’s cap hit but has slightly better track record so nominally more expensive. I willing hitter & a strong face off option even though a RW. StL didn’t use him much in that role only took 114 faceoffs winning 57% but in his last season in Washington he took 441 winning 56.9%. 436 the season prior winning 51.1%. Helps to eliminate the need for 2 C’s being on the ice in certain defensive situations or on a PP unit.
Brouwer kind of optimizes what a Bruins winger is for me. Big body, good skater especially for a player his size, an honest hard working player with decent skills & the ability to complement star players. In his 3 years in Washington he was a fixture on Washington’s #1 PP. His 1st year 5th in PP TOI/GP & his last 2 seasons 3rd.
I just want Boston to continue the rebuild but address the holes that exist on the current roster but not necessarily going out & shooting their load this off season with expansion right around the corner. Why bring in a ton of assets you might not be able to protect & certainly not if your expending assets like their 1st round picks.
Boston needs a top 4 Dman, Krug although small will be a #1, he’s very close now but only has 3 years of NHL experience. It takes Dman almost 6 years to fully develop in the NHL. If Eriksson is lost ideally he is replaced with something & I don’t want Stempniak back nor Liles. They didn’t make the Bruins better in fact they got worse even though Stempniak played well!
I honestly believe Boston makes a serious push for Yandle although Goligoski might be a better option & some what cheaper to sign. I think Vesey is a lock. Boston qualifies all their RFA’s non get more than their 10% CBA required raises except for Krug who gets locked up long term in or around 5.5 6 to 8 years.
Torey Krug a #1D? If that’s Boston’s future #1 D-man then they can forget about playoffs for the foreseeable future.
I still feel them giving up Hamilton, albeit for a nice return, was a huge mistake. They might have to give up something similar now for a Vatinen or Dumba and end up paying them what Hamilton wanted. I don’t think Trouba is as good as he’s being over-valued right now.
Noel.
How do you define a #1?
I accept it’s not black & white as different Dman or forwards for that matter have different strengths & weaknesses. Some teams #1 Dman are all offense all the time & are ok; soft really, defensively. Karlsson, Burns etc. Others are solid minute munchers that play in all situations & do everything, Suter, Weber, etc & others are solid offensive Dman & reasonable to good in all other aspects Subban, Letang, etc & then you have Doughty & Keith that are kind of in a different category all by themselves, there might only be a handful of these types of Dman in existence & teams don’t ever trade them. They just win 5 cups between them.
In today’s NHL Doughty, Weber, Keith & Suter may be the 4 most complete Dman. There combination of skills & abilities to perform any role are some what unmatched by almost all other NHL Dman. This is my example of not black & white as now as you start adding players other strength’s & weaknesses it really starts to blur & there are no real stats to support the advantages & disadvantages of such.
There are 30 teams in the NHL so you could argue there are 30 #1 positions but some teams don’t even have a #1 Dman, some teams have more than 1.
For me the 1st basic criteria is TOI/GP played on his respective team. He needs to make the top 30 in points for Dman, ideally be a plus player but not essential as that is more a reflection of team play as opposed to individual play; see OEL, & help his team win games in some significant way which obviously interrelates to points as we can talk about a whole range of things but when all is said & done the team that scores the most goals wins.
If you look at goal scoring differential by team over the last decade with a few minor exceptions primarily in the east the team with the higher goal differentials make the playoffs & almost rank out 1st to 8th accordingly. At least 90% of the time!
Noel,
The Bruins offered a similar contract to what Hamilton wanted… for people to still feel moving him was a huge mistake, the player simply didn’t want to play in Boston for whatever reason that may be. His brother Freddie Hamilton is in the organization now over in Calgary… Dougie Hamilton is also Canadian, maybe he wanted to play for a Canadian team. He might’ve wanted to play for a different style team, coach, whatever… at this point though what we do know is the player simply didn’t want to play in Boston. They offered 6 years and $33m, Calgary signed him for 6 years $34.5… for anyone to look at those two numbers and think the Hamilton trade was a mistake, not a chance. The player didn’t want to play for the Bruins. They moved him, simple as that. Now the return I’ll argue could’ve been better but when you look at the compensation breakdown of an offer sheet, the Bruins actually made out better than if a team had gone the offer sheet route.
@ Striker, I think we’re confusing what both of us believe as a #1 D-man. Phaneuf was THE #1 D in Toronto but he certainly wasn’t a bonafide NHL calibre #1 D, similar to the likes you mentioned (I’d include Pietrangelo too). There are definitely different types of D for sure but in hoping that Torey Krug would be the #1 D, the go to guy on a team wouldn’t leave me with a lot of confidence. He’s decent don’t get me wrong, but if he’s your best D, I think it would leave a lot to be desired.
@Chad Regardless of what he wanted or not, look at the Jonathan Drouin case, seems like the relationship was much worse there and it appears to have turned around for the time being. I felt like Boston just gave into Hamilton too easily, that being said he would have been a what RFA or UFA this year and could have likely left for nothing, I think the return was ok but it seems like they’ll have to spend at least that to get a player of lesser quality.
Yeah I’m not sure we will ever agree, as my perception of a #1 yours are considerably different. Pietrangelo is certainly a #1, a solid #1 top 20 for me easily & any team would be happy to have. Phaneuf was Toronto’s #1 & for me he is still a soft #1 or solid #2 with warts. Most do.
The players your implying as # 1’s if I understand you correctly are the Doughty, Keith, Weber, Suter’s of the world. There aren’t any where near enough of those Dman for all 30 teams to have 1.
Noel – Boston did not want to rid themselves of Hamilton he wanted to leave the Bruins offered more than Calgary paid. Dougie was upset because Boston would not trade for Freddie and because he did not fit in with the group.
Noel,
The big difference between Hamilton and Drouin is that Drouin is still on his ELC. Hamilton HAD to be signed, he didn’t have a contract and was an RFA. The Drouin situation seems much more toxic but we still don’t know how that’ll pan out either as he could still be moved in the off season. Tampa was kind of forced into a position where they needed to bring up a player and with the playoffs coming up (at the time)… they brought up the most talented player they had, which they felt could be an impact = Drouin. They might’ve gave into Hamilton quicker than they should have, could’ve held on a bit longer and made a bigger deal in the summer with another team… I think at the time it was about getting draft picks in that draft hence the reason they dealt him the afternoon of Draft Day. I have no doubt in my mind they saw an opportunity to move up and go after Noah Hanifin, moving Lucic and then Hamilton in order to grab 2 more first round picks to make an offer to move up in the draft was without a doubt in my mind their plan. Didn’t materialize for whatever reason. If they had offered 3 first round picks in 2015 to move up and grab Hanifin and Carolina turned them down then shame on Carolina. The 3 first round picks the Bruins used are all players with arguably high ceilings, top 6 players, and a top 4 defenseman.
Hi Striker; fyi I go on this site generally once a day, sometimes twice. I seen your reply to my comment yesterday and I did give you a rebuttal comparing Seabrook and Chara. Basically stating why your wrong imo just in case you were not aware. Cheers all in good fun.
All good Caper. Like you I only get 2 opportunities a day generally. Over several hours in the morning well working on the computer & then maybe a quick 1 later in the afternoon. I’ll go back & read it. Take care.
Trouba is worth 1 first rounder, not two especially since questions have arose concerning him. A talent yes, but he will have to prove himself and earn the right to wear the “B”.
Is Eriksson better than Okposo? Not sure – thoughts?
I would still do two first round picks and a prospect if it came down to that but some fans and I think the key word their is FAN… think that these defenseman are going to bring in some huge overpayment. If a team wanted to offer sheet the player then you’re looking at either….
A first, a second, and a third round pick
or
Two firsts, a second, and a third round pick
The offer sheet won’t go above $9.1m per so there’s no reason to discuss a team receiving four 1st round picks.
I agree chad if im Sweeney I do 2 firsts and a prospect for trouba! imo he will be a top pairing dman when he puts it all together,
Wow – I think you guys are over valuing Trouba – we will see what his value is in the coming mos.
I don’t accelerate the rebuild by expending picks. I try to address in the UFA market to stop gap until all the young Dman Boston has stock piled have time to develop.
At least until the youth already on this roster even at forward has had another season of development & the expansion draft has passed.
Trouba if rumours about his salary demands are to be believed is out to lunch on his current worth & I don’t want that headache.
I will say, never say never though. Things sometimes just fall in your lap.
I think if the Bruins can move some picks and prospect for one of these RFA defenseman you do it… at this point you have defenseman in the pipeline coming up in the next couple of seasons. Add those in with a free agent signing, trade for an RFA defenseman… now you have a completely new defense core. After all of the picks last season there’s no need to stock pile all of them again this season. Some of the talent in the AHL need to moved as well to make room for all of the talented forwards coming up behind them… the list is quite long. Players like Koko and Griffith are expendable. Trouba may not net you two firsts and a prospect but something similar. All I’m saying is that for everyone thinking these players are going to bring in a huge or enormous return, some people are throwing names out like Hall and a 1st round pick… stuff like that. Keep in mind, why would a team trade a huge package like that when they could simply sign the player to an offer sheet… you’re forcing the teams hand and so what, they decide to match, that’ll come around in a few seasons and force their hand to make a move or two because of the cap situation.
hanson.. these picks aren’t gonna be high picks, I don’t see Winnipeg wanting picks anyways but imo trouba is gonna be a good two dman
2 1sts seems high. Picks are looking like one lottery # 14 and # 20.
WPG has a ton of talent in the line up and system and I think they need a few warriors to get them straightened around. Boston does not have what WPG needs unless your talking a core player.
Offer sheet would not work according to general fanager.
There are concerns with Trouba’s maturity and commitment – this is why I don’t think he’s worth two number ones.
Yankee Fan,
Bruins could opt to move out a core player, wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit. The pipeline is quite stacked as of right now and eventually this team needs to make room. Holding onto all of these core players will create some issues.
Its possible Chad, it be interesting to speculate who.
Yankee Fan,
Just listened to 98.5 earlier today and Cam Neely was on… setting the world on fire. He was verbally a beast on the radio, could tell he was angry about everything. The players, coach, performance, even radio and reporters in the region and their remarks towards Neely as the teams president. He was asked if there were untouchables on the team, he did answer yes, but was very hesitant in my opinion. Leads me to believe that the list is quite small. Bergeron and Marchand, maybe a couple of prospects in the pipeline but that’s it. This team is going to listen to a multitude of offers in the off season and they absolutely should. Teams know this team wants to pull a trigger and make moves… perfect opportunity to make some noise IMO.
I would add Pasternik to the group of untouchables. Krejci as well only because his cap hit.
I just cant see a good fit for WPG that upgrades their players.
Yes but very different player…
Why is Trouba worth 2 first round picks? I am being a little critical but I’d like someone to sell me why a GM should pay that price for him? What does he bring?
9th overall pick. 6’3 202lb career +16 defenseman and only 22. There’s a lot of upside in this guy. Is he worth two first round picks, difficult to say but most of these RFA defenseman will not come cheap. Dougie Hamilton went for a first round pick and two second round picks all in the same draft. Trouba and Vatanen in my opinion should net the smallest return when comparing them to the other RFA defenseman (Dumba, Lindholm) but they’re all going to bring back at the very least a first round pick, likely two of them, and a high end prospect. Otherwise, you’re looking at a top 6 roster player of similar age, reasonable contract with term left… look at the Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen trade.
I laugh, “it won’t be easy to fix Boston Defense” haha; really it shouldn’t be hard. The team was in the 5th in scoring, 20th in goal against and in the top of the league with the least amount of shots per game. They do not have a #1 or #2 defenseman. Yandle isn’t the answer in NY nd he won’t be the answer in Boston. Boston does not have the guy who can play in all situation, pp, sh, physical shutdown dman. From what I’m reading about their prospect, some believe Lauzon is that guy, he was the third dman taking last year. Personally the only thing I know about the prospect is what I read and their stats and i’ll leave it at that. The bruins have a lot of prospects and two first round draft picks, the purpose of obtaining these are to make the team better, either thru development or acquiring other assets. Neely said his core is getting older and the window is closing, will be interesting to see what and if they can pull anything off. I would love to see a Dumba, Trouba or Lindholm. Wishful thining….maybe.
Jeremy Lauzon is supposedly going to be a very good defenseman, top 4 talent… unfortunately he was cut in the neck by a skate blade the other night. Horrible injury. Rushed into surgery and is said to be stable and out of danger at this time. Who knows how that’ll impact his career, if it does… I’d be more skeptical that it may hurt him more mentally. I’m sure the recovery will go fine, and he’ll be cleared to play…
Few teams have that in 1 asset. There may be less than 8 in the entire NHL today. Most teams have to cover off the defensive & offensive aspects of their top D with at least 2 players many more so. The Doughty’s, Weber’s, Suter’s & Keith’s of the world don’t grow on tree’s. Ha-ha!
Krug as a 3rd year player logged 21:36 TOI/GP this season, 19:35 last season & 17:30 in his rookie season. He moved from 7th in his rookie season, to 4th as a sophomore & 2nd this season for Bruins Dman in TOI/GP. His 44 points was good enough for 19th overall in D scoring, his 244 shots was good fro 4th overall 4 behind Karlsson at #2. His points & shots were instrumental in Boston having the 7th best power play in the NHL & 5th best goals for. His plus 9 ranked him 3rd on the Bruins at D & he started taking on more defensive responsibilities. He is a #2 now.
Name 59 Dman in the NHL today that you would prefer to have over Krug?
I’d lean more towards a #3 on the team… but I do get your point. I’ve been making that point a lot lately when I compare Krug to Vatanen. People are praising Vatanen like he’s a #1 defenseman that’s going to bring in this exuberant return. Vatanen was taken in the 4th round and he’s every bit comparable to Torey Krug in almost every category imaginable.
As you know Chad we both agree on this issue. Krug & Vatanen are very comparable in a multitude of ways not the least of which is size. I don’t think having 2 smaller 2 way Dman is a good idea. It could potentially work but not ideal, although with how the game is evolving size isn’t as big an issue as it was in the clutch & grab era & analytics are showing that these types of Dman provide significant value in contributing to a teams ability to win.
Striker,
Agreed, they’re more valuable to a team in this era of hockey but having two of similar size, same age, same style of play… not sure it’s the best direction for the team.
The Bruins have some good d-men in the pipeline, like Lauzon, Zboril and Carlo. I like Carlo. He has size and a fairly high upside. As well, Colin Miller will develop into a good, two-way guy, able to quarterback the power play. He should be groomed for this, starting next season. I would seriously consider moving Torey Krug. At best, he’s a #3 d-man, and like Vatanen, has defensive problems due to size. Krug’s goal production fell considerably this season, and he certainly isn’t the guy you’d want on the ice for key faceoffs in the defensive zone – hence, he’s not a first pairing guy. I’d move Krug, Spooner and a first round pick, for a young, solid, first pairing d-man, with size and speed. It would be a bold move, but a good one. I would also do what was necessary,to sign Ericksson!
Laurie,
C. Miller should pan out to be a very good player on this team. Top 4 defenseman in my opinion. Has good size, 6’1… should become a PP quarterback. He did win AHL top shot (speed) last season… he doesn’t have the height and weight that Hamilton does but I could see him being a comparable replacement. Hamilton has great size and weight but he’s not good on defense in my opinion, sometimes defenseman don’t always use those to their advantages but I think if the Bruins can hone in on C. Miller and help his defensive game along he’ll be a more complete player than Hamilton was for Boston. Great opportunity there.
chad imo miller wont be close to Hamilton. Hamilton will be better in all facets of the game
bigbear,
Hamilton is not good in his own end, or anything defensive for that matter. He’s shown little or no improvement IMO. He’ll be better offensively than Miller, I agree.
Hamilton is already better than miller defensively imo
Side note and for the purpose of discussion:
Anyone surprised by the Chicago Blackhawks – St. Louis Blues series?
Blackhawks after January 1st – Present brought in through trades….
Tim Jackman (D)
2017 Anaheim 7th round pick
Drew MacIntyre (G)
Thomas Fleischmann (F)
Dale Weise (F)
Christian Ehrhoff (D)
Andrew Ladd (F)
Jay Harrison (D)
Matt Fraser (F)
Jiri Sekac (F)
… gave up
Corey Tropp (F)
Dennis Robertson (D)
2018 Chicago 2nd round pick
Phillip Danault (F) <- 1st round pick 2011
Rob Scuderi (D) <- Who they gave up Trevor Daley for earlier in the year
Marko Dano (F) <- 1st round pick 2013
2016 Chicago 1st round pick
Ryan Garrett (F)
The talk when Chicago inevitably loses the series, maybe not tonight but by the end of 7 games will be the Andrew Ladd trade, giving up a high end prospect and this years 1st round pick only to bumped from the playoffs 1st round.
Not surprised at all – St. Louis is stacked and they are big. Backes is where he should be – secondary to Tarasenko. I am pulling for the Blues, they and their fans have been frustrated for years and years. It’s their time, if they can get out of the West.
I’m pulling for the Blues only because it seems that Chicago goes ‘all in’ every year by means of making a multitude of trades and it seems like they always move a bunch of valuable assets, however, they typically win or go deep….
… this year I hope it’s different and they’re bounced in the first round.
tough to say anything bad about bowman with 3 cups the last 6 yrs but lol but has anyone been watching steven johns in dallas? he has really impressed me and would be playing on the blackhawks d right now! sharp and johns for daley and garbutt isn’t looking very good I know it was for salary but johns has looked like a solid nhler for years to come
No absolutely not, Bowman has done a fantastic job but everyone seemingly exalts Chicago’s moves each year because of the outcome in the playoffs… and when people criticize their moves in terms of mortgaging the future a lot of fans rush to their defense. It’d be nice to see the Blackhawks get busted in the 1st round after giving up the assets they did for Ladd, not to mention bringing in additional pieces… I feel they altered the chemistry of that team when as Striker noted, they should have focused more on a defenseman.
Bigbear – I am with you on Johns, was shocked when I heard he was tossed in that deal.
hanson ive watched a lot of dallas down the stretch cause I have benn and klingberg in my lifetime pool lol! but johns has looked like a veteran dman since he came up solid defensively and plays the 2nd pp unit great pick up for dallas
No I took St.L in my playoff pool. LA is surprising me though or perhaps San Jose. I took LA players. Yet wasn’t SJ up in the series 3-0 last year and lost it. SJ looks different to me though, they look better, more intent and more confident. I’m thinking This could be their year to get to the finals.
No. I took StL to beat Chi, then Dal.
Chi not addressing their #4 D spot is going to cost them this series. van Reimsdyk sits 3rd in TOI/GP for Chi for D. He has been on for 7 of 10 StL goals & sits minus 5.
Why Chi didn’t secure Hamhuis who would have helped solidify Chicago’s top 4 allowing van Reimsdyk to play a significantly smaller role is shocking. Quenville can come out & support van Reimsdyk’s play but this hole in Chicago’s roster wasn’t addressed by Bowman & the price for not paying it is going to send Chicago packing. Hamhuis was more important to Chicago’s ability to advance than Ladd.
Chicago had players suited to play with Toews & Hossa. Why Teravainen hasn’t been given that opportunity yet makes no sense to me.
Bruins need to fix their D. Chicago needs to fix their D. Edmonton. Lots of teams in the same boat.UFA defensemen will fly off the board this year.Trading for a d man will be tough. Teams that have a surplus may suddenly fid themselves short if they make a move.
Targeting a cash strapped team may work but at what cost ?
Bruins can’t be soft either. I’m a big believer that there are certain markets that can’t ice soft teams like Pittsburgh and succeed. Toronto’s another. You gotta move the puck but they gotta be tough too.
Arnie,
The era of hockey where teams built around big bodied players is almost non-existent if you’d like to compete in the NHL. You can be a hard team to play against, strong on the puck… but the players have to be talented and be able to skate. Looking at the majority of players being drafted or coming up from Juniors, NCAA, overseas… it’s mainly talent, scoring, hands, skating ability. A lot of players are undersized, height and weight and yet teams are picking them over the big bodied wingers and defenseman.
Chad,look at the west, LA, SJ, Anh, St.L, Chi and Wash in the east, these are all big teams and tough to play against and they play a heavy game. Skill matters but so do size. The best power forward in the NHL right now during the playoff is Ovechkin!
Caper,
True, but I think many people correlate tough to play against or strong on the puck with size and grit… many of the players coming into the NHL are very much talent first. I think you’re right, you can have a team that’s tough to play against but I’d hate for the Bruins to try and revamp the team into being big bodied and gritty… we all need to keep in mind that teams like the Canadians have burned us in the past too many times. They have the speed and skill that kills us in the playoffs. We need to bring in some more speed in skill, I’m okay with having bigger bodied players but they need to poses the other skill sets as well. Case and point, Jimmy Hayes. Big bodied player, go to the net, grit, but a lot of us this season saw him struggle with skating, hands weren’t good, not a great shot… doesn’t work.
Yes the B’s need a serious overhaul….no two ways about it….but Sweeney is not the guy to do it. Witness the Zac Rinaldo trade and the Reilly Smith for Hayes trade. And maybe Cam is not the best President either. Look, from the Press Conference yesterday….Cam is still blaming Chia but he’s the guy that signed off on his moves…He’s not taking responsibility for their position. They are terrible at taking care of there young…remember back when Patrice Bergeron came to the team? He was living with Martin Lapointes family. He had structure coming into the NHL. And there is absolutely NO heart with this team. While I love Big Z it would appear he is not doing what a captain should. IMO it started when Thomas said he was taking the year off…and continued downhill from there. Letting Thornton go and especially Boychuk (which may have been the nail in the coffin) sure didn’t help.
The Zac Rinaldo trade was atrocious, agreed. The Reilly Smith trade is, for a matter of speaking, what it is… Smith struggled in Boston and had a better year in Florida but it’s a different system. People also lose sight of the fact the Bruins shed themselves of Savard’s contract in that trade. Savard was still north of a $4m per cap hit on this team, which until you place the player on LTIR (not until the start of the season) it hurts the team and hinders their ability to make additional moves.
Also, I think we all need to give Sweeney some more time. He was able to shed quite a bit of salary in just one offseason and the Milan Lucic trade was nothing short of a home run in my opinion. Two 1st round picks, Sean Kuraly, and Colin Miller. The Matt Beleskey signing was every bit a B+ / A – signing for this team and at a very reasonable number. His annual average is $3.8m and he can be floated in the top 6 or 3rd line. Hamilton could’ve been sent an offer sheet, which in return would have netted the Bruins a first, second, and third round pick… instead they were able to get a first and two seconds… albeit they likely could’ve gotten more from another team if they had held a bidding war but I think the team was quite surprised when Hamilton turned down a $33m / 6 year offer only to sign with Calgary for $34.5m / 6 years.
As far as Neely is concerned his involvement in the Chiarelli era is purely speculation by many, who look at it in a business sense that he was signing off on all of these moves. Writers in and around Boston have smeared Neely for it, yet… how do we all really know what went on behind locked doors. How does the process operate behind the Bruins front office? Did he give Chiarelli all of the power to basically go out and operate as he sees fit and Neely just signed off, no due diligence. We all give Neely a bunch of grief for the Chiarelli era but none of us really know how that operation worked and how much power did Chiarelli really have. We know from Behind the B that Neely was heavily involved in the Tyler Seguin trade but was he in others, or contracts, NMC handed out?
I read an arcticle recently saying that Jacobs said neely has made a lot of the moves recently?
bigbear,
Recently yes, but I think a lot of people are backtracking to the Chiarelli era and saying that Neely signed off on all of the moves, ect… I feel his amount of influence on moves during Chiarelli’s time as a GM wasn’t as much as people think. Yes, he may have signed off on the moves but did Chiarelli talk up the players? Did he provide Neely with all of the information relevant to the move… or did Neely just give Chiarelli the reigns. I think it’s the latter.
Fact. Dougie held the bruins under the gun, and demanded they give his brother a contract. They didn’t and Calgary did. Simple. Good reddens.
Agreed. Bruins mistake was not getting the entire NHL into a bidding war for Hamilton. I think their decision in moving him was very quick. Some reporters had said they spoke to other GM’s around the league and they had no idea he was even available.
Boston could’ve simply let Hamilton sign the offer sheet, then matched it. Like Nashville with Weber.
Caper,
They could’ve yes, but how effective would the player have been in that situation? Resentment towards the Bruins…
Im a Bees fan of 40 years,love the opinions and the way you guys are breaking things down. Couple of things Gus wasnt a good backup goalie?? Sounds like Bees brass thinks its a must area to upgrade. Did #40 pull his weight when it counted most? Of course not he usually falls apart down the stretch. Im not saying he’s not good but at 7 mil he should be better. We had Martin Jones, could #40 been moved to free up some money and maybe use that on a def?
Bees had a 4/5 year run where there was a chance to win multiple cups like the Hawks did but it didnt happen. Rebuild from the bottom up but is the President/GM and Ownership capable of doing it?
Seguin????
Johhny B????
To a much lesser extent–Reilly Smith, good player, good skater has ability
Trade for Hayes??? How ?? terrible deal
Neely was involved in these deals, how that can happen I cant answer
These moves set back the franchise for years to come. Also They should have locked up Krug long term a year or 2 ago
Lets Go Blues
crrob,
Gustavsson in my opinion was exactly what a backup goalie is suppose to be. He went 11-9-1, 2.72 GA and .908 SV% he signed with the Bruins on a one year $700k contract. There’s really nothing you could possibly want more or ask for in that signing. In my opinion he outperformed my expectations as a backup goaltender. They want to upgrade the backup position but what are they willing to spend in doing so. They already pay their starting goaltender $7m per to put up these stat lines the last 2 seasons:
2015-2016 (31-22-8, 2.56 GA and .915 SV%)
2014-2015 (34-21-13, 2.30 GA and .922 SV%)
*** Don’t forget that the Reilly Smith trade also included Marc Savard’s $4.027m cap hit for 2 more years. That cleared up space during the off season to allow for moves, whereas before the Bruins had to wait until the LTIR period (start of the season) to place his contract on. Boychuck may have still been with the Bruins had that contract not been on the books. Remember, the Bruins traded Boychuck right before the start of the season… Savard’s contract hadn’t been placed on LTIR as of yet.
Good point Chad, I forgot about Savy piece to this
I don’t think Boston should move first round picks at this time in the rebuilding process. I agree with Stricker to go after Yandle and another solid UFA defenseman. This will help and not cost picks.
I think moving Siedenberg if possible would also help.
As for RW need someone with grit who can score. Team needs to get tougher too many soft players.
i don’t know why boston would have any interest in yandle? they need to stop goals they are fine offensively, yandle is not great in his own zone
bigbear,
I’m not entirely sold either with Yandle, I’ve expressed that with Striker a couple of times as well. He’s not a bad player, certainly wouldn’t hurt the Bruins by adding him to the equation but I still feel the team needs that shutdown defenseman who’s a stud, or top 2-3 type… not sure where they find that, trade maybe? But that’s my desire for the off season. Also, the Bruins have Krug who already shoots left, Yandle also shoots left… we do have Colin Miller who shoots right and is an offensive defenseman. I’d like to see Krug and Miller take over the offensive defenseman duties for the team. Two solid players, young, left and right handed shooters.
woah potential 1st round upsets – nyr / la / chi
i guess the pundits will be calling for rebuilds / trades / management firings soon…their management will remain, they will sign ufa/trades, they will not rebuild and will still be in the playoffs again, while they all jump on to the next pundit bandwagon
assbackwards,
I’ll tell you what, I for one have no problem with Chicago getting bumped in the first round. After all of the moves they made, assets they gave up… and now to lose in the first round, enjoy. As a Bruins fan I would’ve loved to have made the playoffs and Chicago did… but as a Bruins fan if we had given up big assets to bring in these players and then to lose in the first round I’d be pissed. In my opinion I think Chicago messed with some of the chemistry, sometimes bringing in too many players is a bad thing. They gave up a 1st round pick and Dano for Ladd…. update on Ladd, 4 games no points -2
Forgot to mention, I’m still slightly upset with Bruins management for giving up the picks they did just to bring in JML and Stempniak… that in and of itself was a complete waste. Was basically a move to the fan base stating hey we’re going for it, playoffs, making a run… and never did make the playoffs.
2017 Second Round Pick
2016 Fourth Round Pick
2016 Third Round Pick
2017 Fifth Round Pick
Anthony Carmana
Picks are valuable, especially for a team looking to rebuild a defense and mold some players. Sami Vatanen was taken in the 4th round. Colin Miller was taken in the 5th. There are players out there you can hit on. To throw those picks away for Stempniak and JML, still not make the playoffs. Ridiculous