Young guys continue to make an impact w/ Conor Ryan | Pucks with Haggs - video Dailymotion

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In this episode of Pucks with Haggs, Joe Haggerty is joined by Conor Ryan of Boston.com to discuss the impact that Matt Poitras has made this season, how this lineup will work in the face of some injuries, and the guts this team has shown early on in this season.    ﻿This episode of the Pucks with Haggs Podcast is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook is the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. NEW customers can bet $5 and get $200 in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Now is the best time to join FanDuel! The app is easy to use and you can be on everything from spreads to player props and more! So, visit FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won’t wanna miss. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.    Factor. Visit https://factormeals.com/HAGGS50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast. As always, I'm your host Joe

00:09 Haggerty. You can find my work on joehaggerty.substack.com. Also, over the last month or so, writing for

00:16 Boston Sports Journal. So you can check all of my NHL and Bruins thoughts, takes, writing

00:23 at both of those sites. Plenty of hags to go around along with this Pucks with Hags

00:27 podcast today. I am welcomed by Connor Ryan from boston.com long time Bruins writer. Now

00:34 you're a veteran at this point, Connor, you're not a new kid anymore, right? I know I got

00:38 a little gray on the side of my head. Now I feel like I'm, I feel like I'm part of the

00:41 crew now. So happy to be here. You are. You're like Brandon Carlo, who has gone from like

00:46 a young guy on the team to all of a sudden now a veteran and a leader and a guy that's

00:50 been around the block a few times. So thank you very much for joining us. We've got a

00:53 lot of fun stuff to talk about today. Just a quick shout out to our sponsors, FanDuel

00:58 Sportsbook. Visit fanduel.com/boston and get right in the middle of the NHL season that's

01:05 going on right now. $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. Also factor meals.

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01:18 them because they're like 550 calories and they're delicious. Even the exotic sounding

01:24 stuff that maybe I wouldn't like traditionally, I actually think is pretty good. So thank

01:28 you factor meals. Let's just jump into it with the Boston Bruins here. I mean, there's

01:35 a lot to talk about, but just eight Oh and one after nine games. And now they're starting

01:41 to play divisional games, better teams. Like I continue to be very impressed, blown away

01:47 by what this team is doing. And now we're getting into like 10% of the season is gone,

01:52 has been played and Thanksgiving is coming, which is always the playoff marker.

01:57 Uh, you know, if you're, you're in by Thanksgiving, you've got a percentage wise, a really good

02:02 chance to be in the post season. That's only a few weeks away. I mean, we're talking about

02:07 a team that's going to be a playoff team. I, unless barring a like huge collapse at

02:12 some point or major injuries, like killing them. This is a team that I think we've got

02:16 to like maybe change our expectations certainly, uh, and change the way we view them, you know,

02:21 and not be surprised by what we're seeing on a nightly basis with this team anymore.

02:25 Yeah. I think the, uh, esteemed Kevin Paul DuPont tweeted out something yesterday. I

02:29 think the Bruins go 500 the rest of the way and it's still finished with a 92 points I

02:34 want to say. So like, yeah, even if they can really bottom out, they're still going to

02:38 be right in the mix of being what I think maybe we thought they were going to be the

02:42 Saturday, which is like the last week, you know, the last two weeks of the regular season.

02:46 Are they a wildcard team? They might be, you know, locked into a second spot in the Atlantic

02:50 right now if they play like this, or even, even first, if they are better than Toronto.

02:54 Um, and I think, I think you look at the way this team is built, I think it was easy to

02:59 project that they were going to be in the mix just because the goaltending, the defense

03:02 was going to be so strong. But I think the biggest question mark is where are you going

03:06 to get enough offense? Were you going to get enough, uh, guys pulling on the rope? And

03:11 I think last night's win over Florida is kind of a microcosm of the team. Like it's

03:15 not going to be pretty. I don't think you're going to see a lot of 60 minute efforts, but

03:18 uh, whether it's, you know, fighting off that five minute penalty with, you know, only four

03:23 defense are not there. These guys either have whatever you want to call it, the metal, the,

03:27 uh, the fortitude they have to kind of grind through some of these wins. It's not going

03:32 to be pretty most nights, but what do you have? I got like pasta who can kind of carry

03:36 you through long stretches of the regular season with how good he is offensively or

03:40 guys just shipping here and there. You're not going to have Taylor Hall in your third

03:44 line or anything like you had in years past, obviously. But, um, when you have a defense

03:48 and the goaltending that's so, uh, so strong night in and night out, plus enough guys that

03:53 I think can pull on the rope, uh, on various nights, you have a team that is able to, at

03:58 the very least, you know, for the regular season can kind of, uh, pile on points steadily

04:03 throughout the year, which is impressive to see considering how much they lost over the

04:07 off season. Yeah. If you have in the NHL, if you have very good defense and very good

04:12 goaltending, you're going to win games and you're going to be better than the middle

04:16 class.

04:17 You're going to be better than certainly the seller dwellers. You're going to be in the

04:19 mix for a playoff spot all the time. If those are your strengths of your team and really

04:25 the offense determines how high up the scale you go as far as like, uh, contenders, playoff

04:30 teams. And, you know, my only question with this team, and it does relate to the offense

04:36 is, um, how much of a mental and physical grind it's going to be the way that they're

04:42 going to have to win, because you see it night after night after night, there's not a big

04:47 margin of victory.

04:48 Uh, when they win, they're winning a lot of one goal games. They're winning a lot of games

04:53 where they've got a battle in the third period, uh, to get out with the two points or get

04:57 pushed into overtime and have to win it there. And I think the, the taxing nature of playing

05:03 that way, it's a tough way to live in the NHL. If you're constantly, you're just going

05:06 to be one goal ahead, maybe two goals ahead of the other team in the third period where

05:11 they're just going to be throwing everything at you thinking they still have a chance to

05:15 win. So, uh, how much is that going to take out of them mentally, physically, as the year

05:19 goes on, is that grind of having to play that way, going to, you know, take a little bit

05:24 more out of them, take a bigger chunk out of them than maybe, you know, certainly last

05:28 year where it was, you know, party time in the third period when they were blowing teams

05:32 away with their depth and like going up by three, four goals.

05:34 So like, that's my only question is just having to play that way and live that way. How much

05:39 is that going to wear on them? But like, they are showing an ability to do it and they're

05:44 going to continue to be able to do it. Cause they don't beat themselves a lot of times

05:47 because their strengths of their team. So you, I think you're right on, like, they're

05:52 going to be, I think a top three team in the Atlantic division. I don't think there's any

05:56 question about that. Um, you know, we'll see what like Tampa's capable of once they get

06:00 Veselevsky back, but Florida is capable of once they get their players back. But I think

06:05 by that point, it'll the way the Bruins are playing, they're going to be so far back.

06:08 They're not going to be able to catch the Bruins unless they completely fall on their

06:11 face. So, um, you know, it's going to be really interesting to watch, but they're just building

06:16 themselves such a cushion right now that they're going to be able to handle some of the things

06:20 that are coming their way a little bit later in the season.

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06:59 of the NFL.

07:03 Some news this week, obviously, and we'll talk a little bit more about the game, but

07:09 first things first, Danton Heinen getting signed, ends up playing in that game last

07:13 night. I think everybody was happy to see that on the team after he had, you know, been

07:18 doing, doing the right thing. Yeah. Go into practice for a month. Like not really like,

07:23 you know, getting any guarantees that it was going to happen for him. And it was, I've

07:27 made the parallel before it was similar to 2013 with Jay Pandolfo when he came in on

07:32 a tryout. And I think it was like 11 or 12 or 13 games, something like that. It was a

07:37 long time before they actually signed him to a contract where he was just sitting around

07:41 practicing like, Hey, I'd like to play guys. It would be nice. So just what you think of

07:46 Heinen the signing of him now bringing him into the mix.

07:51 What does this mean in the greater scheme of things for them? Does this mean where,

07:54 you know, Jesper Boquist is probably not going to be seen much this year. And, you know,

07:59 my feeling, they made a determination. They brought up Boquist, they brought up some other

08:03 guys that they kind of had made promises to about NHL looks Patrick Brown as well. And

08:10 some other players that they're, they're also going to be in the mix for that. But I think

08:14 they want to give each of those guys sort of their shot to play a game before they signed

08:18 him and then you go back and sign him and kind of commit to him as another player that

08:24 they're going to give long looks for at the NHL level. And, you know, on some level, he's

08:28 going to get probably some kind of preferential treatment because Montgomery is going to history

08:33 with him and he really likes having coached him before.

08:36 And this guy's got a history with, you know, all the players on the team. So he always

08:39 had the in on those two certain things, but you know, I think he'll be a contributing

08:44 member of this team, no doubt. Yeah. I think you look at, I think the Bruins probably went

08:48 through a pretty fair process with that as you kind of mapped out where, I mean, signed

08:52 them, they were like, listen, we're going to put you in limbo a little bit here, but

08:55 they wanted to see what they had. And other guys like Boquist who's played in the NHL,

08:58 Brown, who they, you know, Brown, a guy, they signed the first day of free agency. They

09:03 probably thought it was going to probably be their fourth line center going into the

09:06 year before a guy like Beecher made a push during the preseason. But I think for Heinen,

09:11 right, for a contract like that, making what, 775 for what he brings it again. I don't know

09:18 if he's a guy you want in there in the lineup every single day. I don't know if it's the

09:21 same expectation you have for him maybe a few years ago when he's on that third line,

09:25 but for what he's making and I think what he can bring in terms of he's a versatile

09:29 player, you kind of know what you can expect out of him. Solid two way guy, like not flashy.

09:34 We all kind of know what Dan Heinen's game is, but if he's your 13th forward, injuries

09:39 are going to inevitably happen. He can play on the fourth line, the third line. I mean,

09:43 if you need him to bump up in the lineup for a game or two, like he has done that before

09:47 with guys before. So yeah, I think when you look at just what the price is going to be

09:51 for a guy like that, if he's your spear forward, I think that's actually a pretty solid spear

09:56 forward for a guy that again, didn't go in free agency. You're not really shelling out

10:00 a lot of money to get him. So if that's his role and he can pop in when needed, I don't

10:06 see any harm in that for what he brings. Again, he's a guy that has a not a very high ceiling,

10:11 but his floor is a guy that I think you can definitely work with if you have him as your

10:14 extra guy on NHL roster.

10:16 Yeah, I think so. And I think the fact that he has in the last couple of years really

10:22 worked on his 200 foot game, worked on playing at both ends of the ice, become a viable defensive

10:28 player as well as when he kicks in offense occasionally and what he was known for earlier

10:33 in his career and coming out of college that we weren't sure what his offensive upside

10:37 was going to be, if it was going to be higher than it was. And his first season, the HL

10:41 was really good offensively too. So kind of figuring out where his identity is, but being

10:45 able to play in all situations, being a guy that's not going to be a liability in any

10:50 way, shape or form when he's out there in a third or a fourth line role and kind of

10:54 willing to play to that sort of identity if he has to. I think all that stuff makes him

11:00 a really good fit. And to your point, he can kick in offense occasionally, probably more

11:05 than some of those other players, you know, like Jesper Boquist, I'll be honest with you.

11:10 And I talked about this with Mark Diver on the podcast last week. I watched him in training

11:14 camp. I've seen him now in games. I really have not seen much of anything out of him,

11:18 nothing that's out or impressed me. Certainly I know Heinen, I think Heinen is a better

11:23 player. Patrick Brown, I think is a useful penalty killer and can win face-offs and will

11:30 help them when they have injuries. But I was of the opinion when they signed him, he looks,

11:36 feels, smells like a 13th forward to me. I think that's the kind of guy. And when you

11:42 see him play, his skating speed is not up to pace with everybody else. And he struggles

11:47 to keep pace with everybody. And he looks kind of like an HL player that is going to

11:52 kind of bounce back and forth and just doesn't have the skating speed to really stick at

11:57 the NHL level along with the offensive capabilities either. So like, I think also Heinen is probably

12:04 the best option. Like when they looked at all these players and said, you know, which

12:07 one of these guys is going to be the best fit as far as playing sometimes, being able

12:11 to play up, being a 13th forward, I think he's definitely the best. So I think it's

12:16 a solid signing by him. The other part of this equation is signing of Danton Heinen.

12:23 That was one domino to fall. Now we talk about Matt Patra. He played his ninth game and maybe

12:29 one of his toughest games last night where he, you know, you still see the puck possession.

12:35 You still see the creativity. Like I thought in a game that was extremely physical, was

12:40 very intense, was like a heavyweight Atlantic division playoff style game. I thought he's

12:46 still fared okay. And he did, he looked like he belonged, but he also bad turnover to Barkov

12:50 behind the net that led to one of the goals. He struggled in the face off circle. Like

12:55 it, it was, he was pushed. There's no question about it. But I think, you know, and it's

13:01 interesting that the Bruins are playing coy now not wanting to be too effusive in the

13:05 praise, not, you know not guaranteeing him a spot at this point or saying it's a done

13:10 deal. Even Brad Marsh and just basically saying he made the best case for himself. It seems

13:14 like they're, they're being, you know, they're walking the fence as far as not, you know

13:18 not, not confirming anything or not giving him in that roster spot before the, the team

13:25 makes the announcement. And I wonder why that is or where that's coming from. But like me

13:30 watching the situation, me watching him play, me watching him, the Ross, the way the roster

13:36 is made up with him on it, the way it allows them to, you know, they don't have Taylor

13:41 hall in the third line, like you said, but if he's here and he's playing a top six role,

13:45 you can move Charlie coil to the third line center spot. And I think that does help return

13:50 them to some level of having a deeper lineup, you know, and having everybody slot where

13:55 they should slot. And it kind of starts bringing back a little bit of last year, especially

13:59 like in some of those games where it was a third line of coil, Vin Reims, Dyke and Frederick,

14:06 like that was outstanding. I thought that was when you were watching that, you're like,

14:10 wow, they're really starting to get to a point where the depth is good again.

14:14 And it's really something you can look at and say, that might be a strength against

14:18 other teams. All obviously it's predicated on Patra being able to handle a top six center

14:22 role night in and night out. And I think he played like 18 plus minutes last night, which

14:28 is a lot kid, especially in a game like that. But everything I've seen out of him, everything

14:34 I've seen out of the nine games, knowing that he dominated in golf last year, like you put

14:40 it all together.

14:41 I don't think there's even, there shouldn't even be a question that he's on this team

14:45 that he's, he's earned his NHL spot and he's going to be with the Bruins for a long, long

14:48 time. And they're going to sell a lot of number 51 jerseys with Patra on the back. So I think

14:53 from a business standpoint, from a winning standpoint, from a development standpoint,

14:58 as far as Patra goes, I think it all makes sense and all signs point towards him being

15:03 on this team. But I, I just wonder, and I ask you like, can you think of any reason

15:08 why they're being, you know, they're, they're sort of tiptoeing through this at this point

15:14 and why there should even be any question as to whether he's like, I guess the only

15:17 thing I wonder is like, is there some kind of salary cap thing?

15:22 That's a problem with keeping him that you know, is going to turn into an issue for the

15:27 Bruins. And that's, you know, why some of this is going on. Like, that's the only thing

15:31 I could even think of. But then that, I don't know why he wouldn't be on this team.

15:36 Right. Yeah. I think that's the only possible thing could be something related to the cab,

15:40 which is that's the case. And I'm sure Evan gold and the cab gurus are like crunching

15:44 the numbers.

15:45 They got to figure something right. Right. Because, because otherwise there's absolutely

15:48 no reason that you said, I mean, beyond the fact that

15:51 Like if it turns into a thing where like for some stupid salary cap issue, right. They,

15:56 he can't be on the team. Like they are going to get crushed by everybody. And it doesn't

16:00 matter if you stop praising him now or not. Like Bruins fans are smart. Bruins media are

16:05 smart. We, why we see what we see, we see a kid that clearly should be on this team

16:10 and deserves to be on this team. And if you can't figure it out, you're going to get hammered

16:14 from all sides.

16:15 Right. I mean, you look at his overall game, he's already got it. I think it looks like

16:19 he belongs, as he said, had a tougher game against Florida, which again, so did I think

16:24 every single guy on the Bruins, especially in that first period, it's the same thing

16:27 we saw last year in the playoffs. Like that Florida for check is impressive when they're

16:32 kind of barreling down on you. But you look at the way he's played, whether it's just

16:37 the baseline production you talk to a few of the guys on the team and how impressed

16:41 they were just as puck protection.

16:42 How was he able to shield the puck, avoid kind of putting himself in bad spots where

16:47 you're getting a lot of costly turnovers. Those are things you can't really teach, right?

16:51 You can have, you know, I look at like a guy like Arthur Kaliev, you know, a few years

16:55 ago when he had like a great wrist shot led to a few goals, but then he wouldn't back

16:58 check like any guy that's offensively skilled can put themselves on a highlight reel off

17:03 of a great wrist shot or a great saucer pass. Not a lot of the guys can do a posture does

17:07 at his age of protecting the puck, not being a liability and building the team game, which

17:11 he's kind of done night in and night out. So in terms of his individual contributions,

17:16 he deserves a spot. But as you said, the Bruins can't afford to send him down to the OHL.

17:22 Like they are a better team with him out there. I mean, he's a guy that as you're trying to

17:26 find that cohesion, that chemistry, that consistent five on five scoring, he's one of the few

17:31 guys that's kind of driving play regularly. And it's all him just doing the little things

17:36 that's impressive for a 19 year old, right? Like he's protecting the puck. He's cutting

17:40 inside into like that grade A ice and generating chances. And as you said, having him out there,

17:46 I think allows you to build kind of the framework of what I think you want in your lineup with

17:50 a guy like Charlie Coyle in third line. Like when Coyle's playing at his best and I don't

17:55 know what it is, but him and Frederick always play really well together. You all of a sudden

17:59 have kind of a physical puck, maybe not physical, but a puck possession, hefty kind of line

18:05 that can do a little bit of everything, be kind of your shutdown line, all those things.

18:09 And if Patra is able to drive play further up the lineup and it's whether it's with,

18:14 you know, he played with Zaka and Pasternak the last game, he's had some good looks with

18:18 Mourning Geeky, which is a guy that you want to get going as well. And if both those guys

18:21 can play off each other, that's impressive. Like however, however way you map it out,

18:26 the Bruins team, it's not just like, you know, tip of the cap to a 19 year old who I think

18:31 is accelerated his timeline. Like he obviously deserves to play up here full time. Bruins

18:36 need him. That's the most important thing. Like right now, this 19 year old kid is a

18:40 key cog on this team, not for the future, but for right now during this season.

18:44 Yeah. And that's it. Like the bottom line is like, they're not doing Matt Patra any

18:49 favors. They need him. Like he makes them a much better team when he's, he's basically

18:55 exactly what they needed. The answer to their prayers, like that, not that they, you know,

19:00 he's the answer to their prayers. Cause he came out of nowhere because they drafted them.

19:03 They clearly saw talent there and credit to the Bruins scouts. And like, I've always been

19:08 on them to draft more OHL players, more Canadian junior players, because those are the guys

19:13 that every year when a team wins the Stanley cup, the vast majority of the players on those

19:17 teams are always OHL Canadian junior players. Like, you know, OHL sometimes from Quebec,

19:24 obviously from the dub sometimes, but they're coming from Canadian junior leagues and predominantly

19:28 from the OHL and the Bruins have sometimes been light in the draft on taking those kids.

19:33 So I think they could look at this and say, you know what, this should be more impetus

19:37 for us and more, more firepower and ammunition for us to go and take more of those kids because

19:44 that, you know, that's, that's something get a focus on. I, and I say this as, you know,

19:50 somebody that's very involved in youth hockey around here. I love that they draft and sign

19:55 local kids. I love that they go after college players. I love that. That's like a talent

20:00 stream that they continually mine out of, and they should do that, but they also need

20:05 to focus a lot more on Canadian kids because that's what you do have to win games. And

20:09 when you need to get the best players out there. So like credit to them for finding

20:14 him for drafting him. But the fact that he was ready right now is like a gift from the

20:18 hockey gods dropped into their lap. You know, it's exactly what they needed. And if for

20:22 any reason they have to shy away from that, turn away from that, send them back to golf

20:27 to like what, get 150 points this year. Like what's the, yeah, exactly. Like it should

20:34 not happen. So, and you know, I guess in thinking about it, maybe part of the reason they're

20:39 trying to scale back the talk too, is because they're trying, maybe there's some trade things

20:44 that are out there and they're trying to like sort of play poker a little bit with whether

20:47 they want to keep him or not. But I don't really think they're going to fool anybody

20:52 there either. You know what I mean? Everybody knows they want to keep him like, and everybody

20:55 knows the Bruins are against the cap. Like you're not going to fool anybody. I think

20:59 at this point, if you're the boss, maybe they just don't want like a bunch of networks to

21:04 put a microphone in his face every day, like Conor Boudin, maybe that's what they're trying

21:07 to do. Try to cool down the hype train a little bit. So we'll see.

21:12 I think the hype trade has left the station. Yeah, I think so. A couple of other things

21:17 out of that game. And this could also play into like some of the difficulty, like, and

21:23 we've seen this around the NHL with, with other teams where at times they've had challenges,

21:28 icing a full team, you know, that sometimes they have to go, you know, short of D short

21:35 of forward because of injuries, because of the salary cap when it's hit certain teams

21:40 at certain points, Matt Griswold goes out with an upper body injury that he's going

21:45 to miss a couple of weeks.

21:46 Lucha's already out of the lineup. They're missing a lowco. Like some of that stuff is

21:50 starting to accumulate there. You wonder if they're going to hit a point where the salary

21:55 cap is going to be an issue with them and all the injured players that they have as

21:59 far as, you know, icing a full team. And I'm, I'm curious to see how this is going to play

22:05 out with their defenseman. Now the Grizzlies out for a couple of weeks and Charlie McAvoy

22:11 is likely facing some kind of discipline and suspension for the headshot on, on, on all

22:16 of rec when Larson after last night, to me, that was a clear cut, cut headshot, whether

22:21 he meant to do it, whether it was intentional or not.

22:24 I don't think it really matters. The puck wasn't there. He clearly clipped him in the

22:28 head. And I think, you know, in addition to the match penalty that got him tossed from

22:33 the game, he's probably going to miss a game or two after that. So this puts them in a

22:39 really difficult spot the next few games, both from a depth standpoint and from a roster

22:45 standpoint and from a salary cap standpoint. And I'm really interested to see how all this

22:49 is going to play out amidst the backdrop of just signing Heinen of now making the decision

22:55 on Patra. It seems like a lot of things are coming to a head and it may be, it may be

22:59 a difficult couple of games to navigate for the next few, for the Boston Bruins.

23:04 Yeah, no, it's definitely tough. And it's too bad that you're losing so many key guys,

23:08 especially I think during these games that were litmus tests, right? Like even like,

23:11 I think you missed a guy like Lui Chi Chi in that Florida game. That's the one where

23:14 you'd really like to see kind of the pushback he could bring. I'm sure the way that first

23:19 period was going, I have to imagine there was going to be a big hit or something that

23:22 would have at least gotten the crowd going a little bit there. And even when this Toronto

23:26 game against Ryan Reeves and Toronto team, I think it's clearly true. Yeah. Could we

23:32 try to, I think, beef up their lineup a little bit? You know, this would have been a great

23:35 test there. Even like guys like Lauco who, you know, Lauco is not a heavyweight fighter

23:40 by any means, but kind of knows how to read the room, right. And knows when to try to

23:44 interject some energy in there. So that's kind of unfortunate in terms of just you're

23:47 missing. I think that element that I think the Bruins are really trying to maybe add

23:52 more to their game this year when you look at the guys they signed. But yeah, in terms

23:56 of just the bodies back there, that's going to be the biggest issue is not just the, you

24:00 know, who they bring up, but whether it's, are you looking at guys like Ian Mitchell

24:04 or Zaboral, are you looking at is like Laura ready for a look? Which seems like, you know,

24:08 I know, I know Dibs talked a little bit about him on your last podcast of what he's done

24:12 down there so far, but the cap is the looming thing over all of that is, you know, what

24:17 exactly moves can you even make when you have those opportunities? Because it does look

24:21 like at the very least, you're not going to have McAvoy for a Toronto game, which is makes

24:25 an uphill battle even tougher without a guy like him out there.

24:28 Yeah. And just looking ahead, you're right with the games coming up with Toronto is a

24:35 big one. I think that's a, you circle and look at and say, that's like a true test game.

24:40 That's going to be interesting with, with the lesser lineup, but you know, how, how

24:44 much do you think we should read out of the results of that game? I was impressed by the

24:50 Bruins last night, kind of avoiding any revenge talk and sidestepping that whole thing. And

24:56 basically saying it's not going to change what happened last year as far as that game.

25:01 And I just think at the end of the day, that win over Florida was just their highest quality

25:06 win of the season. And the biggest win as far as sort of confirming and minting them

25:13 as a true legit team, like a legit quality team in the NHL where they went up against

25:19 so many Western conference cream pups in the first few weeks.

25:22 And it was hard to say that, you know, when they were winning those games, but I think

25:26 that game against Toronto is another one that is going to be in the measuring stick kind

25:30 of like, you know, this is where this team is at. This is the statement to the rest of

25:34 the league that the Bruins are legit. And for real anything that you're sort of like

25:39 looking forward to watching or reading into in that game coming up, which is they're always

25:45 entertaining and fun rivalry games.

25:46 Yeah. I mean, I think you look at obviously Toronto's, you know, their whole game revolves

25:51 around that offense, which is tough to corral. So I think obviously seeing how, again, the

25:55 Bruins, I think I've done a good job. You look at even like Detroit was flying high.

25:59 They had a really strong power play. They were over four in that game. Like they've

26:03 done a really good job at shutting down the strengths of teams, especially on the offensive

26:06 zone. So I think, again, easier said than done, but slowing down Toronto's offense via

26:12 a big key from even without a guy like McAvoy, we'll see if maybe again, Hampus Lindholm played

26:17 his best hockey last year when McAvoy was out of the lineup and he kind of was the do-it-all

26:21 guy. So I think getting him going, especially in the offensive zone would be a huge plus

26:26 for them. But I think for me, the biggest thing moving forward, and it's the, what we

26:30 talked about earlier on Joe is the, the ceiling of this team depends on how much offensive

26:34 generation they can get. And you're still trying to see where those pieces fall into

26:37 place. I mean, it feels like every single game now Montgomery is shuffling up his lines

26:41 that I don't even know what are his lines right now in terms of, you know, what's the

26:45 best case or who fits where. So seeing that continue to build, see where a guy like Patra

26:51 settles in, whether they think he's with Zaka and Pasternak, whether they think he's with

26:55 Geeky, you know, all those things, I think it's something worth noting. And if guys like

27:00 him, I think I would take the breast. We need to get him going. You need that more five

27:04 on five scoring punch. Those are the things that I think are the most important thing.

27:08 I think we know night in, night out, you'll have the odd game, you know, maybe not as

27:13 disastrous as that Anaheim game, but you're going to have the odd game where they give

27:16 up three or four goals. But I think the biggest thing is, you know, their defensive goaltending

27:20 is going to be pretty strong night in, night out. It's whether or not the offense can continue

27:24 to extend leads, build themselves some free room, those things. So I think that's what

27:28 you have to watch moving forward, especially against Toronto that I don't know what happened

27:32 with Joseph Wall, but he's been, he's been unbelievable out of the gate. So.

27:36 Yeah. And that's like, basically that's really what the Leafs needed, you know, and that's

27:40 what they were missing is something like that. And that makes them a more complete team if

27:44 they can have somebody that consistently can just, you know, stand in there and stop pucks

27:50 and, and, you know, do what needs to be done and, you know, be the backbone for that team.

27:55 Because obviously they have the offensive firepower. They've had that for years and

27:59 it, it, it's going to be an interesting game. I, I like you lament the loss of Luchich for

28:04 that game. I was looking forward to Luchich Reeves making a statement to each other in

28:08 the first game that they were going to play. I think it's a classic though, like strength

28:13 against strength, you know, matchup offensive firepower, dynamic run and gun hockey from

28:19 Toronto defense and goaltending for the Bruins.

28:22 Yes. They're going to be definitely missing a bunch of players. I think a bunch of key

28:26 guys but I still think they have the, you know, the ability to play the way that they

28:32 want to play. It's going to be another Hampus Lindholm, probably 28 to 30 minutes spectacular.

28:38 Like it was in that game against Florida. You logged a lot of ice time, Carlo and a

28:43 four, but we're over 23 minutes too. And that's asking a lot out of all of those guys, but

28:48 you know, that's the way it's going to go, I think until they get Grizzly and McAvoy

28:52 back. So, you know, I think that's going to be a really good game as far as the, the odd

28:58 game. Yeah, I agree. Like you're going to have games like Anaheim, especially like when

29:02 the schedule sort of like hits you with the loss feel kind of game that you thought going

29:08 into it, that was going to be anyway. I actually was impressed by the way that they played

29:13 in that game. Just given the situation coming back from a West coast trip with multiple

29:18 time changes. First game back is usually a hot mess. I thought it was, they almost pulled

29:23 it off. Exactly. Came out in the last, like, you know, five minutes of the game. But I

29:30 liked that against Detroit a couple nights later, they were pretty much in the exact

29:36 same situation, you know, and they're going to be in that situation a lot this year, two

29:40 to one game in the third period, they give up, they gave up the goal.

29:44 And all of a sudden Detroit is really coming at them with, with everything they have feeling

29:49 like they're going to be able to do what Anaheim did. And then Pasternak steps up and makes

29:54 a few plays and you know, that's what you're going to need is something like that. But

29:58 I thought it was really important and encouraging that you saw the Bruins respond in a totally

30:05 different way. The second time around against Detroit, against another, you know, good team

30:11 that's playing really, really good hockey this year and be able to win that game and

30:16 then find ways to get through it. Like, I think that's, you know, the sign of a good

30:21 team. And I really liked just like at the end, the way Pasternak got rewarded for making

30:27 the right play off the boards to clear the puck net, like exactly what Jim Montgomery

30:32 had been talking about the previous game that they were not doing and that they did wrong.

30:37 And that was a problem when the, when the net was empty, instead he does the right thing.

30:42 He clears the puck off the boards, banks it off the boards and like the hockey gods make

30:46 sure it trickles into the net. Like that's getting rewarded for making the right plays

30:50 and doing the right thing. And that is really good to see. And, and again in the game in

30:57 the game against Florida, after the first period, they all talked about it after the

31:01 game was over, they made an adjustment. You know, they were trying to do be too fancy

31:05 going through the middle of the ice with the passing and in the transition plays to try

31:09 to get zone entries. And they, and it was very obvious to watch. You could see it during

31:13 the game where it just turned it into a dump and chase game where they were just throwing

31:17 pucks from deep in the neutral zone. Once they get over the red line behind the Florida

31:21 net and then just like attacking them with four checkers and it's, you know, meat and

31:26 potatoes hockey, it's, it's boring hockey. It's not like what they want to play, but

31:31 you knew it was going to be effective and it was the proper adjustment.

31:34 And the Bruins bought in and adjusted exactly the way they were supposed to really the,

31:39 one of the only times after the first period that they did anything, you know, through

31:43 the middle of the neutral zone, that was at all, you know, fancy was a Zaka hitting posture

31:49 neck on the, on the run, you know, when they went in and scored on the McAvoy goal, that

31:54 was one of the few times they even attempted that most of the time they were just like

31:58 blinders on throwing the puck cross corner dump and go get it with the four checkers.

32:02 So like, I'm also, you know, I think Jim Montgomery this year is, is being forced to do more coaching

32:10 and forced as you, like you mentioned, changing up the lines all the time, like making all

32:15 these adjustments, like doing things a little bit differently with the crew that he has.

32:19 And we're seeing even more, I think out of him from a coaching standpoint and, you know,

32:25 probably going to end up being in an even more Jack Adams worthy effort that he's going

32:30 to put in this year than last year with the horses that he had you know, that he's going

32:34 to have to work behind the bench, but I'm even getting more impressed watching Jim Montgomery

32:39 this year in a much more challenging situation for him than he was put in last year with

32:45 that Bruins team.

32:46 Yeah, I mean, you, you look at last year, how many times did he mention, you know, the

32:51 opportunity kind of was able to walk into a locker room that was commanded by so many

32:54 guys that have been there forever, like Bergeron and Marcian Crecci.

32:58 And, you know, he's mentioned Bergeron countless times before how he was almost an extension

33:02 of the coaching staff, right?

33:03 He was almost the, the go to liaison you kind of lean to in terms of getting kind of the

33:08 temperature of the room.

33:09 And it's not to say that that is now completely gone.

33:11 And that Martin, you know, March ends closing the door on these guys, but it's definitely

33:16 impressive to see him, you know, switch things up a lot more.

33:18 And I think adjust on the fly.

33:20 This is a team that I think Jim Montgomery wants him to play with pace, wants them to

33:24 be a lot more shot selective.

33:26 But when you've got a team that also maybe doesn't have as much finishing talent, or

33:30 you're still trying to find the cohesion, it's about simplifying things, maybe without

33:33 just getting pucks on net and letting guys like James and reams that I get, you know,

33:38 opportunities at the net front.

33:39 Like it's all about, you know, I think what makes a good coach is when you have a set

33:42 game plan, you have a way that you want your team to play, but it's also hockey shit happens,

33:47 and you have to adjust it on the fly and work with what you have.

33:51 And hopefully you're able to have your team build into what I think your overall vision

33:56 is for that roster, right?

33:58 And that's what makes good coaches kind of envisioning that and getting to that product

34:02 maybe by the end of the year, but it's always a work in progress for every single team.

34:05 So to have him do that and switch things up, and you know, maybe change, you know, stray

34:11 from kind of the strengths of what he thinks his roster is just to get them to where they

34:15 are right now, and incorporate that more and more.

34:18 Yeah, that has been really impressive in terms of how he's worked with the team that, again,

34:22 I don't think a lot of us expected them to be in a spot.

34:24 I don't think anyone expected 8011, but he's definitely coaching a team that at the very

34:30 least, they're going to be right in the middle of the playoff picture this this upcoming

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35:55 Anything, Connor, as we're closing out here that you are hot on, that you have a take

36:00 on, that you haven't talked about, that you you want to put out there that you've seen

36:05 over the first month with this Bruins team that you think is not being discussed enough.

36:10 I mean, I'll probably just go back to what I said about, you know, the fact that we teaching

36:15 these guys on flying and how tough that is.

36:17 And I think it's something that you go down that rabbit hole of like this team needs needs

36:22 grit and you get dismissed by a lot of people as to what that means or what that brings

36:25 to a team.

36:26 But I think you've seen it with you know, you can you can view and see how valuable

36:31 those guys are just in terms of the extra energy they provide, the you know, the deterrence

36:37 it is with having a guy like Leach out there.

36:39 I guarantee you that against the game in Florida instead of Frederick, maybe Potter is skating

36:44 a few shifts with Leach each instead.

36:46 Like I think you see the energy and the extra I think you get from having those guys in

36:52 the lineup, even a guy like Loutko, like those guys just make things happen.

36:57 And I think that's the kind of the perfect blend of what you need in teams is, you know,

37:01 that high end skill.

37:02 But if you have guys that can, you know, inject energy, make things happen.

37:06 I mean, even look at like Florida, like all these teams that have a really strong forecheck

37:11 closing on you quickly and can make things happen and kind of muck things up, usually

37:14 do pretty well in the playoffs.

37:15 I think the Bruins have seen that like you need, you know, a lot more skill injected

37:20 into your roster in today's NHL.

37:22 We all know that.

37:23 But finding that fine blend is something I think the Bruins were kind of missing.

37:26 I think you've seen it so far with guys like Leach, Leach and Loutko.

37:30 And you just hope those guys are back soon.

37:32 And I think it's it's obviously fun having those guys out there.

37:35 You love hearing the Looch chants and all those things.

37:37 But that added element, I think, has been very, very noticeable in those games.

37:41 You've seen him out there.

37:42 Yeah, I agree.

37:43 And, you know, that is like a great observation just as far as the fourth line goes, that

37:50 like you now understand why Loutko and Looch each and Beecher won those roles out of training.

37:56 Like and you did then because you saw how well they were playing.

37:59 But like seeing some of the other guys in those spots on that fourth line, the fourth

38:03 line is not nearly as effective right now with the people that they're missing as it

38:08 was when they had Beecher centering Loutko and Looch each.

38:12 And that was a strength.

38:14 And that was something you noticed.

38:15 I mean, opening night, they were outstanding.

38:17 And like there was a few games where they were factors and pretty much every night they

38:20 were bringing physicality, energy and they were disruptive.

38:24 And they really were doing a very good job more often than not.

38:27 And, you know, I think the fourth line is much less of a factor right now with some

38:32 of the other players that are in there.

38:34 And certainly, you know, on a whole different level, the presence of Looch each just is

38:39 a game changer for everybody.

38:40 It makes everybody more courageous.

38:42 It makes everybody have a little more physical swagger.

38:44 It makes everybody braver because they know he's going to have their back.

38:48 You know, you do have the ability to with him.

38:51 He's a guy that at times they will play up in the lineup a little bit because he's done

38:55 it before in his past and he knows how to play that role.

39:01 And he knows, you know, he's a very underrated, I think, playmaker and passer.

39:05 And he's very good at, you know, hitting guys in good spots.

39:08 And he did it multiple times in the preseason and the regular season where he found skill

39:13 guys in the right place to set them up to do their thing.

39:16 You know, whether it was Pasternak, whether it was setting up Mason Lowry in the preseason

39:20 with a great pass, like he's underrated doing that.

39:24 And he has the ability to play with higher end offensive players, even though if he sometimes

39:30 can struggle to keep up with them, speak skating speed wise, like that's fine with a big, you

39:34 know, cruiserweight like that, that's going to happen.

39:36 But when he gets there and he has the puck, he can set guys up and he's always been able

39:40 to do that going back to his days playing with Nathan Horton and David Creechie.

39:45 So any, obviously the net front thing is, is a, you know, a part of his toolbox as well

39:50 when he's playing with those kinds of players.

39:52 So I agree, definitely missing Lauco and Lucic takes a big chunk out of the fourth line as

39:58 far as just their ability to have an impact.

40:01 So hopefully they do come back sooner rather than later and, you know, great that Lauco

40:07 was lucky and, you know, what we've seen with tragic skate blade issues and, you know, things

40:15 that have happened to where it's coming more and more of a conversation in the hockey community

40:19 about net guards and about Kevlar protection all over, you know, for, from skate blades

40:25 that are coming up high for him, that was like, you know, millimeters away from doing

40:30 real damage to him and for him to be able to come out the next day with a Lord of the

40:34 Rings tweet, make course pretty awesome.

40:38 It's why I get along with him.

40:39 It's I, you know, I, I love going over and just talking to him about like new MCU shows,

40:44 you know, that's going on.

40:46 That's total, like, you know, comic book, geek sci-fi crap.

40:50 Cause he's all into it and he's, he knows what's going on with all of that stuff.

40:55 He's a pro too.

40:56 I was like talking to him.

40:57 I like the Lord of the Rings movies.

40:58 And he'll be like, ah, like you read like the extended, like chapters of like the Tolkien.

41:03 I was like, no, I don't, I don't know any of that stuff, man.

41:06 Like that is beyond what I'm, what I'm investing in.

41:09 So kudos to you for, for doing that, but I'm not reading any Tolkien novel.

41:13 No, no, no.

41:14 He's in deep.

41:15 And I appreciate that.

41:16 Like anybody that is a professional athlete is that level.

41:20 It also has the ability to be a complete, like a fantasy sci-fi comic book geek at the

41:25 same time as my hats off to you.

41:28 You are, you are a well-rounded Renaissance man and that's what Jacob Leuco is.

41:32 So, you know, glad to see he's, he's going to be all right.

41:35 And that, you know, he avoided any kind of serious injury there.

41:39 That's it for us this week.

41:41 Thank you very much, Connor, for being with me.

41:43 I appreciate it.

41:44 We'll do this again down the road sometime soon.

41:47 Thank you for listening to the Pucks with Hags podcast.

41:49 Thank you to our sponsors, Factor Meals, America's number one, ready to eat meal kit, ready in

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42:29 Connor, Ryan, once again, thank you very much.

42:32 We will see you at practice a little bit later today.

42:36 We still got another home game to go, so we'll see each other a few times this week.

42:40 Thanks for talking hockey with me.

42:41 Everybody out there, thanks for listening.

42:42 We'll see you at the ring.

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Young guys continue to make an impact w/ Conor Ryan | Pucks with Haggs

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