I know it was a shoulder/chest thing, but Bergy looks WAY better than I expected him to in that video. Consider me hopeful for a return soon... until now I was kind of expecting it to be a really long, lingering issue.Z and Bergy. Bergy and Z.
I kinda like the college line. They were impressive in limited action on Tuesday when I went. It also seems JFK's possession numbers are ticking up, so I want to see how that goes. Having JFK blossom into a legit 3rd line center would take a lot of pressure off trading for someone. I still think he's a year or two away, but he's been much better lately IMO.Cassidy confirmed DeBrusk in concussion protocol, Kuraly had minor nose surgery, he's probable.
Kalman wrote an article wondering if they should keep Krejci with Marchand and Pastrnak when Bergeron comes back. I don't think it's as crazy as it sounds at first. Donato-Bergeron-Heinen would be an intriguing 2nd line.
Me too, I'm sick of changing avatarsColby Cave is on waivers today. Really hope he clears.
I’m all for the slow build. Bergeron and Marchand aren’t that old. I like their young defense prospects. If they can make a hockey trade with Krug in the offseason (not a knock on Krug, but he’s going into the last year of his deal, and I’m not interested in giving him $7 million per year) for a young veteran winger, then I’m all for it. Something like the Nathan Horton deal except they wouldn’t have to give up a first because Krug is way better than Wideman was. I’m not interested in giving up good prospects or picks for short term solutions.I heard Billy Jaffe on with T&R this morning discussing what they thought the Bruins should do at the deadline. It seems that Billy is torn between the following options:
- Go for the 3rd line Center, in the person of Brayden Schenn or someone else (RNH?).
- Get a 2nd line winger for Krejci. They mentioned Vladimir Tarasenko and 1-2 others I don't remember.
- Accept the idea that they have a decent almost-ready prospect stock but are short on draft picks, and that they aren't really ready to compete with Tampa (or Warshington) even with Tarasenko or Schenn.
I hate the idea of letting go of what is likely to be Zdeno Chara's last season, or another year of Bergeron. However, even with option 1 or 2 I do not think they will compete with the best two teams in the conference. The 3rd line has come along fairly well recently too, which would help alleviate some of the emergency need for that 3rd line center.
I’ll take the chance that one of the most dedicated athletes around can maintain his current level of play at age 35, and lead a deep group with Pastrnak and McAvoy as young elite players, with guys like Donato, Vaakanainen, DeBrusk, Lauzon, And Frederic maturing into good players, over overpaying for Brayden Schenn and losing to Tampa or Washington in 6 games instead of 5. That group has a ton of upside if management is willing to be patient. Make hockey trades in July, not short term expensive moves in March.Bergeon is actually old, he'll be 34 when next season starts. He's going to decline soon and it's going to be painful for the Bruins.
While I generally agree with all of this, one could say that guys like Heinen, Donato (when he was in college), JFK, Senyshyn, etc will never have higher value than when they were prospects and they missed the trading window to maximize their value. Trading Frederic now could potentially be the best move they could make.I’ll take the chance that one of the most dedicated athletes around can maintain his current level of play at age 35, and lead a deep group with Pastrnak and McAvoy as young elite players, with guys like Donato, Vaakanainen, DeBrusk, Lauzon, And Frederic maturing into good players, over overpaying for Brayden Schenn and losing to Tampa or Washington in 6 games instead of 5. That group has a ton of upside if management is willing to be patient. Make hockey trades in July, not short term expensive moves in March.
I can't think of any elite players who were elite past 35 in the modern era*. Even Chara took a big step back around that age, and he's a huge outlier for various reasons. I'm not saying Bergeron won't be a very good player still, but the difference between the Bergeron of the past 5 years and a very good (top 20-30) center is enormous. Like ~10-15 goals above replacement enormous. The difference between the playoffs and not the playoffs for most teams.I’ll take the chance that one of the most dedicated athletes around can maintain his current level of play at age 35, and lead a deep group with Pastrnak and McAvoy as young elite players, with guys like Donato, Vaakanainen, DeBrusk, Lauzon, And Frederic maturing into good players, over overpaying for Brayden Schenn and losing to Tampa or Washington in 6 games instead of 5. That group has a ton of upside if management is willing to be patient. Make hockey trades in July, not short term expensive moves in March.
The more I think about it, my apprehension about moving prospects has more to do with the nature of the trade deadline than parting with certain guys. I just think when you have a buyer/seller market, with few sellers and many buyers, teams are just ripe to significantly overpay. I’d be very interested in a good hockey trade, but those tend to happen in June not March. I like the idea of moving Krug (before he cashes in on FA) with one of those guys for a forward upgrade around July 1.I lean towards being aggressive. They had 112 points last year (4th overall) and are on pace for 101 this year despite a rash of injuries. They have holes, but if those holes are addressed properly they can win a Stanley Cup.
Bergeron and Krejci are aging and they don’t have any in house options to replace them. The B’s have a deeper farm system, but they don’t have any blue chippers. I get being patient, but by the time they figure out what they have in some of the kids like Frederic, Studnicka, Vaakanainen, etc. the old part of the Bruins core will likely have aged out. I’m fine with moving some prospect and draft capital to give them a better shot at winning in the next 1-3 years.
Taking off 2 young, cost-controlled standout players from the current roster is a non-starter, IMO. Which means KPD will be all in favor of it (he hates McAvoy, fwiw).The price would be sky-high. The Blues would no doubt request top picks, young standouts like Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk and high-end prospects.
I posted this in another thread:KPD hates a young player who is good at hockey? What!?!?!?
"McAvoy was late" will replace "Thornton lost that faceoff to Madden" in the 2nd graf of every KPD story from now until 2030 or so.Taking off 2 young, cost-controlled standout players from the current roster is a non-starter, IMO. Which means KPD will be all in favor of it (he hates McAvoy, fwiw).
The Athletic has some really really good hockey content overall too. I think it's worth the subscription for the hockey writing alone. Fluto, Joey Mac, Pierre LeBrun, Down Goes Brown/Sean McIndoe, Justin Bourne plus others.Off topic a bit (although the topic is how bad Dupes sucks), but Fluto has been writing some really good stuff at The Athletic. The longer he's away from Dupes, the less he sucks. I've always though Dupes ruined Fluto by convincing him to be cynical and telling him that the reporter is part of the story...Fluto is back to being all business and cranking out some quality content. I've been hating on him for years, so I'm pleasantly surprised.
Yes, it's basically about McAvoy being late. Neely, during a radio interview with Felger & Mazz, basically did confirm (after being pressed heavily by Felger) that he was late for a team bus once, but it was basically dealt with by his teammates and is a non-issue. McAvoy confirmed this in the article I linked.I don’t have a Globe subscription, is that the story about McAvoy being tardy? Cassidy came out and said that was BS.
Your recollection is right. I was listening to Neely on F&M on New Year's Day and he said that McAvoy was late and that Marchand jokingly bought him an alarm clock. Neely addressed the point that McAvoy needed to learn how to be a pro but he's young and a good kid.Yes, it's basically about McAvoy being late. Neely, during a radio interview with Felger & Mazz, basically did confirm (after being pressed heavily by Felger) that he was late for a team bus once, but it was basically dealt with by his teammates and is a non-issue. McAvoy confirmed this in the article I linked.
I think the headline may have been toned down a bit from the original, because I really groaned when I first saw the headline. But my recollection could be faulty.