i remember the good old days of worrying about over production from players. ahhhhhh, good times back then. seems like a thousand years ago.
not only did McAvoy sign w/ the Bruins but Jacob Forsbaka-Karlsson did as well. this kid is pretty good. he plays a strong game in the middle of the ice, i think that he has a legitimate shot at the 3C role next season, I just dont think Spooner is a 3rd line C. he's top 6 or bust or 3W i suppose but thats less than ideal. I like JFK here, and obviously Carlo too. Lauzon could be really string, we'll see. Makes me realize- those 3 1st rounder may end up being absolute dogshit but at least the 3 2nd are looking strong. i hate you Sweeney.
Fatface Macavoy signed up with the big kids. I think this is short sighted thinking spending an entire ELC year. Sure the Krug injury is crippling but wasting a year like this will hurt in the end. Not having Krug out there to beat the Boucher 1-3-1 will be difficult to say the least. Now you're banking on concrete skates like Chara, McQuaid, & K. Miller to gain the redline...... less than ideal. Against a trap you'd like to reverse it and get the 1st forechecker caught deep and get that red line. Krug and Colin Miller and that's about it....maybe Liles can get it done? Fatface Charlie for the Conn Smythe!
nice Players Tribune piece by Bergeron. https://theplayerstribune.com/patrice-bergeron-boston-bruins-nhl-playoffs/
Danton Heinen has 8 pts in his last 5 games and is tied for the AHL lead in playoff points. Providence down 2-1 to Syracuse in conference finals. i like this quote from him. taking ownership for a tough start to his own season and still taking something positive out of it, speaks well for a 21 year old rookie. ?When I was up at the beginning of the season, I saw (Patrice) Bergeron ? he didn?t have the start he wanted and he was still effective. I tried to learn from that. As long as you?re in a slump you?ve got to find other ways,? said Heinen. ?I wasn?t making the breaks, wasn?t moving my feet enough, not playing with enough pace. Once I started doing that, plays opened up,? he said.
Danton may prove to be a great player based on what I saw of him at U. Denver. Based on his draft slot, he will prove to be a draft steal. I've seen his name mentioned in trade rumors. I think that people are underestimating him based on a superficial look at his draft spot and his poor start this year. I'm sure he's not an untouchable but it would have to be a heluva return, IMHO, for him to be part of any trade package.
I've heard his name in trade rumors too, from other teams. I think he was wanted in return for guys like Shattenkirk last year. As you said, not untouchable but he'd have to be involved in a package for a serious return. Same for Carlo.
I think Boston could have a pretty solid D for the next several years. Moving Carlo would require a massive deal from what I can tell. Would Sweeney add him to a package for Landeskog? I know E. Kane would look pretty good in your lineup, but I'd be shocked if Carlo were part of a package for him. Not that Buffalo wouldn't ask for him.
Who knows what Sweeney is willing to do. So far in his 2 years at the helm he hasn't moved prospects, instead acquiring mass amounts of picks. Personally I wouldn't move Carlo for Landeskog but I would move him if it brought back a Dman. Still a need here for capable D. Krug and Chara are nice but they're one trick ponies, at this point Carlo is as well. McAvoy is the thoroughbred, I have high hopes for Lauzon as well. Colin Miller might become a nice well rounded player too, I think he just needs the minutes.
Matty, how does Boston's cap situation look like? (Sure, I could look that up, but why work if I can just ask?) Do you have some contracts you'd like to dump? I'm still following Zboril; I thought he went a little high (13th or 14th) in 2015, but I hoped he'd have fallen to BUF. From what I can tell he seems to be developing well. I think every team is going to ask about Carlo and McAvoy. Heinen should be in high demand. I'm just wondering if Zboril might be overlooked and someone (like Jason Botterill) could snag him. There is a huge amount of chatter about E. Kane. Too much to ignore as the usual palaver. I know BUF is coming to a decision point on him: extend him or trade him. Kane is really much more valuable to a playoff team, and the question is how long will it take for Buffalo to get there? If the answer is more than one season, then the overall opportunity cost (or risk: reward) pushes Kane to the trade him side. I think he'd be potent in Boston's lineup. What are your thoughts? What do you think he'd be worth in trade?
The Bruins cap situation is fine, less than ideal, but fine. A couple of tough contracts but nothing that's gonna kill them, for now anyway. They'll have to lock Pastrnak up and that's gonna be a significant jump from his ELC but they still have lots of room for outside help. Ideally would like to see the team move on from Krejci's deal and I think that's possible given his skill set. Zboril was the 1st pick they had in that draft and I assume that the expectation for him is still to develop in to a decent NHLer. Not so quiet whispers of him being an a-hole are out there and that his own biggest obstacle is himself....... sort of the anti-Danton Heinen. That really worries me about potential growth for this kid but his value is such that I think he's worth more to the Bruins as a prospect than he would be to another team taking him on. Moreover, I don't think other teams would give up much for him at this time. He had a tough season from all accounts last year. Real kick in the nuts with him is that his draft year D partner for Saint John, Thomas Chabot, is a star in the making for Ottawa and picked after all 3 of the B's 1st rounders that year. Chabot and Colin White are far superior to the 3 kids the Bruins took in that 1st round. As for Kane, I'd like him here but not for too much going back given his contract status and "instability ". However, Bruins badly need a LW to play behind Marchand and the slugs that they've tried out, Beleksey & older Hayes, have been atrocious. The typical Sully may remember Kane KOing Matt Cooke after the Marc Savard cheap shot so I'd assume that Kane would be very welcome here, at first anyway. So Kane would fit a need and in a vacuum I think your swap including Zboril makes sense but I think it's unlikely given the (non) history between the 2 organizations. Also Sweeney has been very tight with his prospects, as in hasn't traded any, so switching up his strategy within the division also seems unlikely. I do like the idea of that trade for both sides though Dan.
I think that if the Sabres are going to trade Kane, the WC is a much more likely destination. There's not much of a history of trades between BUF & BOS. I'll admit, it would be tough to watch Kane get a SC or two in a Boston uni. It's just that the overarching need is to do what's best for the team. I'd rather see a divisional foe hoist the Cup if it increased the chances that eventually the Sabres would too. This is a trade I would not mind: Kane for Zboril, a bad contract with 1or 2 years remaining and BOS's 2018 first. A young NHL-ready F with middle-to-bottom six potential would probably be needed to round things out - someone like Hudson Fasching or Nick Baptiste. If someone like Zemgus Girgensons was substituted I think Boston would have to retain salary since Gus can play C. (I really do not know if that's even remotely realistic, but I think it would help Boston immensely for the next several seasons, and would probably make Buffalo a better team in the long run.)
Bruins sign Hobey finalist Anders Bjork, 5th round- 146 in '14. This is a pretty substantial signing because he wouldve become a FA next year if he didnt sign and he has progressed quite a bit since his draft year. This kid played for the US at the Worlds last month, he's no joke. Brings an aggressive style to the table w/ a little finish. Could be a nice option as a cheap bottom 6er.
The Hobey winner from Denver, W. Butcher, will be one to follow. The Avs drafted him and basically told him to scram a year ago, (Roy's mark was all over that brilliant decision). He'll be unrestricted soon enough.
Patrice Bergeron made history last night with his 4th Selke Trophy. The man he tied handed him the Selke as well - Bob Gainey.
Watching Bob Gainey and the Habs play the Bruins is one of my all-time favorite rivalry's in all of sports.
