• 4 months ago
Joe Haggerty and James Murphy discuss a number of Bruins topics in a mailbag edition of Pucks with Haggs, including whether or not Jim Montgomery deserves a contract extension going into what's believed to be his last season under contract with Boston.


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Transcript
00:00Pucks with Hags is brought to you by PrizePix and the GameTime app.
00:06Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast powered by PrizePix,
00:10the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:14This is the 112th episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast.
00:17I have with me longtime friend and colleague, Jimmy Murphy.
00:21Murph, please tell everybody where they can find your work, my friend.
00:24Well, actually, Hags, right now, just written-wise, I am on Substack
00:29under Murphy's Hockey Law, so you can find my scribbles over there.
00:33There haven't been too many lately, kind of took the summer off in that regard.
00:37But I'll get that going again soon.
00:39Then, of course, I'm hosting the iTest podcast on the SICK Media Network
00:43with Pierre Maguire.
00:45So we're on during the summer.
00:46We're on every Wednesday, 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern.
00:50All right, yeah, definitely check that from Pierre Maguire.
00:53That's great for all the hockey fans out there.
00:55I'm also on Substack too, JoeHaggerty.substack.com.
01:00Subscribe for a premium membership.
01:02Get all of my NHL and Bruins writing sent straight directly to your inbox.
01:07I write three times a week as well for the Boston Sports Journal,
01:10so definitely check that out at bostonsportsjournal.com.
01:12A lot of good stuff on that site as well.
01:15You know, we're going to do some fun stuff today, Murph.
01:17We're just going to – I think we'll kick around the same old topics.
01:22You and I both know this is the dead zone of the hockey offseason right now.
01:25Everybody's at their cottages in Canada.
01:28Everybody's away on vacation, gone fishing.
01:30Like basically nothing's going on right now.
01:32So we'll also answer a bunch of questions mailbag style from some fans,
01:37which I think is always – that takes us down a different road than we would
01:41if we were just kicking around like top Bruins-type topics.
01:45First, we'll just go with Boston Four Sports.
01:48Gets right into the nitty-gritty here.
01:50Okay.
01:51What's the latest on a Swayman extension?
01:53Things have seemed quiet for the past few weeks.
01:56I think it's pretty much status quo at this point.
01:59You did see pictures of Swayman and Olmark reunited
02:04and hugging in Italy at Michael Panhalla's wedding,
02:07and congratulations to him, by the way, on getting married.
02:11Longtime Bruins employee, great guy.
02:15So like obviously they're in Italy at a wedding.
02:18There's not much going on right now at this point as far as negotiations go
02:21and closing the deal.
02:23He's been in Boston all summer.
02:24That's a good sign.
02:25They both declined arbitration.
02:27That's a good sign.
02:28I would only start to get nervous about this and worried about this
02:32if he packed up and went back to Alaska
02:36or if they got a few days into training camp and nothing was going on.
02:42Those are the kind of times to get nervous, times to get worried.
02:45But I think right now there's no natural deadline to get this done right now.
02:50Everybody's away, and it's not going to get done until they get back.
02:53Yeah, I'm with you.
02:54Look, I wouldn't expect anything until let me –
02:57when does training camp start for the veterans?
02:59The 18th, Joe?
03:00Something like that, yeah.
03:01Yeah, the 18th.
03:02It starts later and later every frigging year.
03:03I know.
03:04I know.
03:05It's getting close.
03:06The seasons keep going later.
03:07But like you said, if something – let's just say September 11th.
03:13That's the start of rookie camp the week before.
03:15Let's say if they're not done by then, I think you can get a little tense
03:18and you can wonder what's going on.
03:20The only thing I worry about, and it's not so much Swayman,
03:23it's his agent, Lewis Gross, who is notorious for holdouts,
03:28notorious for dragging things out to the deadline.
03:31We saw what he did with Nylander in 2018.
03:34He brought it down all the way to December 1st deadline at 3 p.m.,
03:38and the deadline was at 5 p.m. that day.
03:41He doesn't mind dragging it out and going all the way to the wire.
03:45So that's the only thing I worry about.
03:47But look, I don't know Nylander as a person, as a player,
03:51as well as I know Jeremy Swayman, and you know Jeremy Swayman.
03:55Swayman doesn't seem like the type of A, person, and B, player
04:01that would want it to become such a drama-filled episode like that
04:07and let it creep into the season.
04:09It just doesn't seem like his style.
04:10I think he just wants to get on the ice and play.
04:12And as you pointed out, Joe, he's been here all summer.
04:15He's at Warrior a lot.
04:17He's at team events.
04:20I think he's the type of guy who might – obviously money rules everything,
04:25but I don't think there's any doubt that he's going to get a lot of money
04:27in this deal.
04:29I just feel like he's the type of player that might say to the agent,
04:32be like, look, I know that you think you're looking out for my best interests,
04:36but I just want to play.
04:38So let's get this done.
04:39So I don't think we have – I do think there is a chance of a holdout,
04:44but I don't think it goes deep into camp.
04:46I don't think it's anything, like you said, where he packs up and leaves.
04:49I think he's the type of guy – like we see right now what's going on
04:51with the Patriots and Judon, and Judon's still sticking around.
04:55He's on the field.
04:56He's working out.
04:57He's not exactly practicing.
05:00Obviously there's been some bad blood going on between them the past week.
05:03There was a little argument with the coach, but he's still sticking around.
05:08He hasn't said I want out, and I see a similar situation
05:11but even a better situation with Jeremy Swayman and the girls.
05:14Well, one thing – and I don't think I've talked to you about this,
05:17but I've talked to a lot of other people about it on the podcast.
05:22Part of the issue, I think, with Jeremy Swayman is that there isn't
05:26a comparable player goalie to him for the money that he's looking for.
05:30I think it's going to be hard for Louis Gross and Jeremy Swayman's camp
05:34if they want eight years, 64, when the guy's never played more than 44 games
05:39in a season, when he's never been a Vezina Trophy finalist,
05:42when he's never even been a starter by himself in the league yet,
05:47and you're going to give him that kind of money?
05:49I understand that they traded Linus Almark, and that was basically them saying,
05:55you're our number one guy.
05:56You're our starter.
05:58But then you have to go out and actually perform and show that you can do it
06:01and actually put seasons together where you've done it
06:04before you can get paid like that.
06:07Every person that's written about it and either tried to use Conor Hellebuck
06:11as a comparable to Jeremy Swayman, which is frigging ridiculous,
06:15or basically said, you should just pay him because you said he's your number one guy.
06:19That's not how negotiations work.
06:21No, not in a cap world.
06:23No, it's like real estate.
06:25You have to provide other players and say, this is a comparable,
06:28this is why we should get this amount of money.
06:31And there's nobody you can look at that signed a – the only one that –
06:35like I think he's going to end up getting over seven,
06:37even though I don't think there's a comparable that's making over seven either.
06:40He's going to probably get something around what Saros got.
06:42I just don't think he's going to get eight.
06:45I don't think he's going to cross the threshold from seven to eight.
06:48I think he'll get somewhere in the sevens because the Bruins,
06:51everybody in the league is going to be pissed at them if they sign this guy.
06:56Granted, I think he's a number one goalie.
06:58I think he's going to be outstanding for the next ten years.
07:00I think he's a franchise guy.
07:01He's obviously stood in the playoffs as he showed last year.
07:05But like everybody in the league is going to come down super hard on the Bruins,
07:09all the GMs, if they sign him to this huge amount of money and set this precedent
07:14that you can give a guy that's only a few years into the league
07:16and has been basically sharing time or a backup huge money like that
07:20before he goes out and proves it.
07:21Yeah, and the other thing we have to factor in too, Joe,
07:23and not a lot of people are bringing this up,
07:25but I don't know how much of a role it's playing right now
07:27in negotiations with Swayman or any player,
07:29is the CBA is up in two years, 2026.
07:33Look, all things point to the cap continually going up,
07:38but there are some, you know,
07:40and I'm not trying to bring this into a broader thing,
07:42but I'm just saying it could be connected.
07:44There are some warning signs that the cap isn't going to go up
07:48as much as people like because you look at what's going on right now,
07:52tags with TV and TV revenue and a lot of people in our business.
07:57And, you know, we saw what just happened with Jeff Merrick at sports.
08:00And I know there was some kind of weird situation there,
08:02but it's always money related.
08:05They're going to look for excuses to get rid of people
08:07because they need to cut back on salary in sports.
08:09And it took a beating in their TV deal.
08:11I haven't seen the numbers of what Turner and ESPN have done
08:15since they signed their contract.
08:17It looks good from the outside, but we don't know,
08:19but there's a lot of things that factor into contract negotiations
08:22when you're looking long-term and clearly a CBA is one of them.
08:26So I think if, you know, you're the GM, you're Don Sweeney,
08:29you probably got the Jacobs in your ears saying,
08:32just pump the brakes a bit here.
08:34We want to give him what he deserves,
08:36but don't go overboard here and lock us into something
08:39that we're going to regret later on or we can't handle later on.
08:43And so there's a lot of factors that go in there.
08:46I like what you said, though, about, you know,
08:49he hasn't been a true number one yet.
08:52No. What happens if you give him this huge contract
08:56and then he shows physically and mentally he can't play 16 games?
09:00He's not durable enough.
09:01You know, like he can't maintain his performance
09:03when he's playing that much.
09:05Like what happens then when you pay them that kind of money?
09:07Like they'd be taking a huge unnecessary risk
09:11if they went out and bet on him to be that guy
09:13before he's actually gone out and shown it.
09:15And Joe, I got to ask you this, too.
09:17So when we, you know, when we were talking about this,
09:20maybe in May, early June, before they traded Almarc, right?
09:24We're looking at it like, OK, they're going to trade Almarc.
09:27They're going to bring Bussey in as the backup.
09:29And Jeremy Swayman is going to be the horse.
09:32Well, now they go out and in that Almarc deal,
09:35they take back a veteran goalie who, yeah,
09:37you know, they got some of the salary retained,
09:39but they're still paying them three million.
09:41That's a lot of money to pay a quote unquote backup.
09:44So my theory is they don't necessarily see Swayman
09:47as being the end all be all.
09:50I'm going to play 60 to 65, maybe even more games.
09:53Right.
09:54They brought in a guy that they want to be able to come in
09:57and maybe pick up 20 to 25 games and help Swayman out.
10:01Who knows?
10:02You know, they brought in a guy just in case
10:04he can handle the durability that they need, like you just said.
10:07So I don't think they're looking at him a lot
10:10like the fans are looking at him right now
10:12or maybe like his agent is looking at him.
10:14So I'm with you a hundred percent on this.
10:16I don't think he can cross that $8 million threshold,
10:19but I do think he makes out like a bandit and he'll be okay.
10:22Well, yeah, it's huge money regardless.
10:25But yeah, there's, I mean,
10:27there's always a legitimate fear amongst Bruins management about,
10:31and with any NHL team,
10:34that the one thing that can destroy your team can sink your team
10:37can turn you into a cellar dweller immediately
10:40is if you have severe goaltending problems.
10:42If you have bad goaltending, that will kill your team.
10:45I don't care how talented they are otherwise.
10:47And I'm sure they envision a scenario where if they went with Swayman
10:52and all of a sudden he's getting paid big money
10:54and all the pressures on him.
10:56And like he struggles with the adjustment to that a little bit,
11:00or there's any kind of an adjustment period there
11:02to him getting used to being the guy.
11:04And then you have a rookie behind him backing up.
11:06That's a recipe for like things that could go wrong
11:09and go sideways for them.
11:11So I think they were glad to get a guy like Corpus Aulo.
11:13That's a proven commodity that can come in and play
11:15and maybe play a little bit more.
11:17And maybe the Bruins also believe that that's just the best way
11:20to get the most out of your goalies is to have a one and a 1A
11:23or to have one guy playing 50 to 55
11:26and the other guys playing like 25 to 30 or whatever, you know,
11:29like just always having that kind of scenario
11:31rather than having a guy like Hellebuck or Saros
11:33that's playing like 65, 66 games a year.
11:36Yeah.
11:37And I even look back and I'm not knocking Cary Price at all.
11:40He's one of the greatest goalies ever to play the game.
11:43And of our time and of the generation that we've covered, Hags,
11:46but you look at what happened to him towards the end
11:50and how he's really down.
11:51He's not as good as Eddie Belfort when he used to throw his pads at you
11:53when you tried to talk to him in the locker room.
11:55We can get into that sometime.
11:58It's funny you bring him up.
12:00I bumped into somebody who knows him very well the other day
12:03and that came up.
12:05Anyhow.
12:06But, you know, the best goalies, even the best goalies,
12:09the most skilled goalies can wear down.
12:11Things happen.
12:12And so I think they know that.
12:14And I think they look at it and say, also, we got a lot of money to other areas.
12:18You know, I think they've done a great job.
12:20I was just looking before we came on here at their salary cap situation
12:23going forward in the next four to five years.
12:25They're really set on the blue line.
12:27They've done a great job of locking in their top four in that blue line.
12:31So that's good.
12:33But, you know, you look ahead to the forward position, Hags,
12:36and I think we can agree that on a Stanley Cup contender
12:39that Lynn Holm is not a true number one center.
12:42He's more of a 2C and he'd be better slotted there.
12:45And then you have Coyle at the 3C.
12:47So maybe, you know, you need to keep things open.
12:50You need to keep options open down the line to fill other areas.
12:54So it's not just about swimming.
12:56It's not just about respecting who he is, what he is, and giving him the money.
13:00It's about the whole team.
13:01And I know fans don't want to hear that.
13:03And going back to quickly, not to reverse,
13:06but what you said about having the 1A and the 1B, you know,
13:10even sometimes I'll admit when we're sitting there in a press conference
13:13and Sweeney or Montgomery or whether it was Cassidy,
13:16and, oh, we love the – or even the goalies saying it.
13:18We love having that competition.
13:20It pushes us.
13:22You heard Elmar can swim and say that all the time.
13:24A lot of times you're thinking you have, like, whatever.
13:26But it's true.
13:27It really is true.
13:29It does help keep them on their toes because it's human nature
13:33that people can get complacent.
13:34So I think it helps to have that 1B guy.
13:37All right.
13:39Cap 77.
13:40And this was on the Boston Sports Journal Q&A message board there.
13:44I do a Q&A every week.
13:46So I grabbed some of the questions from there because they come up with some
13:49good questions on that message board,
13:51even if sometimes I'm a little late on the draw answering the questions
13:54and they get pissed off at me, which I apologize for.
13:56That happens.
13:58One from Cap 77.
13:59Will the Swayman talks drag on like those for Pasternak until the day
14:02everyone arrives at Warrior for camp?
14:04Does it have to be an 8 times 8 deal?
14:07Do you think that that's maybe part of the holdup is that Swayman's camp is,
14:13like, determined to get 8 times 8?
14:16And, like, I honestly do see it.
14:18I see the most likely scenario being like he mentioned.
14:21It's very reminiscent of Pasternak.
14:23Don Sweeney's been very good about, like, closing these deals,
14:25making sure the guys that they want to be Bruins get done.
14:28And it's not a big distraction.
14:30It's not a big problem.
14:31And we all remember, like,
14:33the whole summer we were talking about Pasternak and the hands up,
14:36like, getting it done.
14:37Was that at the golf tournament?
14:39No, I think it was during, like, the physical fitness testing or whatever.
14:43Okay.
14:44So after that.
14:45You know, when they do the pull-ups.
14:47Kevin Miller used to have a pull-up on the first day of camp.
14:52I think that's what it was the very first day.
14:54Because we've had a couple at that golf tournament.
14:56I can't remember who it was.
14:57It was Marcian or Bergeron or one of those guys.
14:59Yep.
15:00But I feel like it's going to be something like that when it gets done.
15:02Yeah.
15:03It's probably going to be, like, the first day of camp.
15:05And then it'll be, like, you know, much ado about nothing.
15:07Yep.
15:08I agree.
15:09Do you think 8 times 8?
15:10Do you think that's, like –
15:11No, like we just said, I don't think he's getting that.
15:13I think it's – I'm 100% with you.
15:15Do you think his camp might be holding out for that?
15:17I think they might.
15:18That's probably the number they have in their head, I would think,
15:20is something like that.
15:21They could be.
15:22They could be.
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17:49I can't remember, Patrick Roir was not in off season.
17:51He was amidst at the end of the year.
17:53That was right before the trade deadline.
17:54I just love Patrick Roir being in the league.
17:57I want Patrick Roir in the NHL.
17:59I want him coaching.
18:01I want his personality there.
18:02He's one of those guys that's going to be fiery, unpredictable, exciting.
18:07I want him around in the league somewhere.
18:09I was, I was glad for that hire.
18:11And I think that could be, uh, the right fit for, for that Islanders team that
18:16probably has not had enough of a kick in the butt the last few years.
18:20Yeah, I'm with you on that.
18:22I mean, look, I don't know what Buffalo is trying to do.
18:25I, I gave up long ago trying to figure out their direction.
18:28I don't think they know it either.
18:29Uh, like you said, it's like now they're going back to the past and they try to
18:33go to the future with a young guy.
18:34They're all over the place.
18:35So yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled with that hire.
18:38Um, the other one I look at that was kind of two of them, actually, that
18:41are very similar in my eyes that I questioned were St.
18:45Louis with Bannister.
18:46And this is no knock on him.
18:47I think he's a good rising coach.
18:49I just don't think he's ready for the head coaching job yet.
18:52I think he would have been a good assistant.
18:53I also think maybe he even needed a few more years down in Springfield.
18:57I was, you know, and I was living out there, uh, right after the, or during
19:00a pandemic and right after I caught a lot of those games there and they
19:03went on a run to the conference final one year hacks, he did a great job
19:06with that team and really good job, those young kids, but you know, from
19:09people I know within that, or it just doesn't seem like he was ready.
19:13And it almost feels like he was a consolation, uh, as opposed to maybe
19:17some of the guys they wanted to get.
19:18And then I looked similar position, Jim Hiller in LA.
19:22I just think that I think that team where they are right now.
19:26In that market, trying to stay relevant, uh, where they are
19:30in the direction of the team.
19:31I think they needed a bigger hire.
19:34I, I really do.
19:35And I wonder, and I look, I don't want to get into the whole
19:38Blackhawks history thing and everything went on with, with Joe Quinville.
19:43But I wonder right now with him being reinstated, if either of those two
19:47teams, St.
19:48Louis, obviously already had them once.
19:50If either of them is saying, damn, we should have waited.
19:52We could have got a Stanley cup champion coach with a lot more
19:55experience, a lot more pizzazz.
19:57Of course, maybe they want to stay away from the controversy outside the rink
20:00there, but I just look at those two hires as maybe like they weren't,
20:05I don't think they're ready yet.
20:06Uh, but around the league, I don't really have a problem with many of the
20:08hires that went on this summer.
20:10I'm trying to look at the list right now.
20:12There's a couple others.
20:13I like a lot.
20:14Um, Ryan Warsawski and San Jose.
20:17I think he's going to a young coach where I think it's the right fit there.
20:23And I think he's the right, that's the right.
20:25Group of players in an organization, I think for them to take a
20:28chance on a young coach and show a vote of faith in a young coach like that.
20:32And the other one I really like is Barubi in Toronto.
20:35I think he's exactly what Toronto Maple Leafs need.
20:38That's where I was going to go fit there.
20:40Yeah.
20:40I'm with you there.
20:41The Bosma one in Seattle.
20:43I do like, because he is a veteran and he did go back to the aid, did some time
20:48there really is familiar with what they're bringing up.
20:50I think they're a team that, yeah, I know they made the playoffs in their first
20:53year and they upset the abs and that seven game series at the time with
20:57the defending champions, but clearly that was kind of a blip, you know, and
21:02then they're, they're building towards something right now.
21:04I think he's a good coach for that.
21:06I totally agree with you on, on Barubi there.
21:08One guy I'm surprised to kind of survive just with all the change that's going
21:13on, including moving is in Utah and that's Andre Terigny and it's not a knock on him.
21:19I just felt like, okay, maybe it's a new team, new ownership.
21:24They want to come in with a splash and maybe make, you know, get a big name in
21:28there.
21:29So I was surprised he made that, but good for him.
21:31Um, and then I look around, there's a lot of good assistant coach hires.
21:35Uh, Travis green in Ottawa is an interesting one to me.
21:38Yeah.
21:38Um, hags that team, I think really it's now or never for them.
21:42Right.
21:42Because we've been waiting for them to turn that corner and make the playoffs.
21:46They've got a lot of skill.
21:47I know they've dealt with some injuries and then they've got a goalie.
21:51They got a goalie now.
21:52Uh, I like that higher there.
21:54Uh, one, I, I don't get okay.
21:58And you know, yes.
22:02Like what, what has Sheldon Keith done besides lose to the Bruins over and over
22:07again?
22:07The one thing, what has he done?
22:09The one thing I will say Murph, um, and I don't, I don't necessarily love that
22:12higher either, but the one, I think Lindy rough was perfect there.
22:15I would've never got rid of him.
22:16Yeah.
22:17The one thing I like about him, at least that I saw in the last playoffs is the way
22:22he had the Leafs playing in that series against the Bruins, like trying to get
22:27gotten them to buy in and they were playing defensive hockey.
22:30They were playing the way you need to play to win in the playoffs.
22:33Like, I actually liked the way the Leafs played in that first round series.
22:36I did too.
22:37Well, while getting hurt in game seven, killed them.
22:39Like that was, that was like the beginning of the end and the death knell for them.
22:43But like, maybe they win that series of Joe wall, uh, doesn't get hurt and he's
22:47able to play in that game.
22:49And I will say like to his defense, I liked that, but like there was obviously
22:55so much babying and coddling going on of those superstar players.
22:58And there was so much that I don't, I think he didn't stand up to, or really
23:02like seize control of like he needed to in Toronto.
23:06And you wonder if it's going to be the same thing in New Jersey with the same
23:09kind of players playing for the devils.
23:11Yeah.
23:11A lot of high-end skill.
23:13Yeah.
23:13Yeah.
23:14I'm interested to see how the relationship with him and Dougie Hamilton
23:17manifests.
23:19We'll see.
23:20You're my friend, Dougie.
23:22Only player to ever like get in, get in a pissing contest with me in an argument
23:26with me on the first day of development camp when he was like an 18 year old kid
23:30and used to pull the, like, I don't want to talk to everybody.
23:33If that person's in the scrum memory did that a couple of times, the people
23:36you're like, who the F is this kid?
23:38Like get out of here.
23:39Yeah.
23:40Go have your mom and dad complained to the GM that you're not playing.
23:42Okay.
23:42Now you said, see, I didn't know if we were going to say if we were going to go
23:45there, but yeah, yeah, it happened.
23:47Yeah.
23:48All right.
23:48Next question.
23:49This is from Ryan M double zero on BSJ Q and a board.
23:53Uh, is Jim Montgomery going to get an extension?
23:56He's had young players make major strides under him.
23:59Pasternak has had his best two years offensively and didn't prove in the
24:02playoffs.
24:02Those true would assume he would be highly tick ticketed if they don't get him
24:08something.
24:10This, I think we've talked about this a little bit, Murph.
24:12I think this is fascinating and really interesting that he does not have an
24:16extension to this point.
24:17Obviously the Bruins like could just decide, you know, they're waiting until
24:22the start of training camp could extend them at the beginning of training camp,
24:24have an announcement, do the dog and pony show, uh, and end like any
24:28conversation about this whatsoever.
24:31But I think we're all know that he signed a three-year deal when he was
24:34hired and he's in the last year of his contract now, uh, from what I was told.
24:39And if they let him go into the year as a lame duck coach, especially where they
24:44hired a guy in Jay leach to be an assistant.
24:47That was one of the guys they interviewed for the head coaching job when Montgomery
24:50was originally hired.
24:52Um, and the, like the last time they had a coaching change in season, you remember
24:56who they put on the Nicole Julian staff, uh, before they made the move in the
25:00middle of the year, right?
25:01Bruce Cassidy was on that staff.
25:03So like there's an MO there, or there's a pattern there of them putting the guy
25:08they want already on their staff when the season starts and sort of having it
25:12already in place, if that's what they want to do.
25:15Now you balance all that off with what he said.
25:17And just the regular seasons have been outstanding.
25:19Like, I think he did a better job coaching this past year than when he won
25:22the Jack Adams the year before, he's done very good job in the regular season.
25:28I liked that.
25:28He challenged the players more this past season.
25:31Uh, and he was more, you know, hard nosed about being a head coach when he had to
25:35be, and kind of had a little bit more of an attitude with them when they
25:38weren't meeting expectations.
25:39I liked that.
25:39And I thought they made a decent step in the playoffs.
25:43Um, you know, obviously not enough yet.
25:45And I know Don Sweeney had mentioned displeasure with the fact that they
25:48couldn't even get to a game seven against Florida and that they really wanted that
25:52in that second round series, but you're also talking about the team, a team that
25:55ended up winning the cup and a team that, um, I think you battled just as hard as
26:00anybody else did in the playoffs, probably harder, like maybe Edmonton, you could
26:04also make the argument, but I think those were the two toughest opponents that the
26:07Florida Panthers had in that whole run.
26:09Um, so like if I'm Jim Montgomery, I probably think I've earned an extension
26:13and why do I have to go into the season in the last year of my deal?
26:17And I think that's just setting up for, for a lot of like questions, uh, if
26:21they don't sign them to an extension.
26:23A hundred percent agree with you.
26:24And I liked the point you make about the analogy you made about Leach and Cassidy.
26:29Uh, the other thing I will point out in that same regard is the elevation of Joe
26:33Sacco to associate head coach, giving him clearly openly saying we're giving
26:38him more of a say on the bench.
26:41Uh, so that kind of, you know, raises a, we'll call it a red flag, but it's just
26:47a little something to think about there.
26:49Um, but I'm with you.
26:50I think he a hundred percent has earned it.
26:52The one thing I will say that, uh, and I love the point you made, because I don't
26:56think that's been said enough tags is what you said that he did a much better
27:01coaching job this past season when he went to Jack Adams, because let's face it.
27:06You and I could have at least got the Bruins to 500 coaching the team.
27:09He had the year before with how stacked it was and how good it was.
27:13And, you know, both players, crazy birds are on, they were
27:18running the show a lot too.
27:19And he admitted that he, he basically, I said it to him one time.
27:23I said to him, I said, you know, as having Bergeron is like having
27:25Reg Dunlop on the bench, you know, he's like the player coach and he
27:28laughed and he said exactly right though.
27:29I mean, it's, it's a great asset for me to have, and I lean on him heavily.
27:34And you saw in that Florida series when he couldn't lean on him as much, it hurt.
27:39The one thing I do get a little nervous about, and I'll circle it back to when
27:44we were talking about Sheldon Keefe and the Maple Leafs, and I'll draw it
27:47into the Florida series this year.
27:50The one thing I see is sometimes in the playoffs, he has had trouble
27:55adapting as a series has gone on.
27:58And, you know, you, you talked about how Sheldon Keefe adapted to the series
28:02against the Bruins and got them to a game seven after going down three, one.
28:06I S I've kind of seen the same thing with the opposite thing.
28:09I should say with Jim, but I think he's earned it.
28:12I mean, I think he, the players like them, um, it's a, it's
28:16a good matchup right now.
28:18You, I think you need to decide this.
28:20I think you're exactly right.
28:21You don't want that hanging over anyone's head going into this season.
28:24You need to decide that before the season starts.
28:27Yeah.
28:27And yeah, I just think it turns into a situation that could
28:31get out of your control fast.
28:33If he doesn't have a contract beyond this year and everybody knows it.
28:38And, you know, cause we're, you and I are going to start talking about it.
28:41Well, that's just, that's our job in a row and like everything that's
28:44going to, what it's going to be about, you know, that's what the
28:46conversation is going to be about.
28:48Um, so if they want to avoid that, I think they would sign him to
28:51an extension by the same token.
28:53I'm sure, um, that Jeremy Jacobs in Delaware North does not want
28:58to pay a coach, not to coach.
28:59You know, they don't want to get assigned a guy to an extension and
29:02then have them sit around after they fire them and they have to pay
29:05them, um, you know, to not be their coach, you know, like they, that's
29:09something they do not want to do.
29:11And no team wants to do, but like, I could see that being a, you know, a
29:16bone of contention with Don Sweeney, Kim Neely, if, uh, you know, Bruins
29:20ownership is paying out money to a coach.
29:21That's like not coaching that they fired and decided to make another move.
29:25So I think that's going to cause them to use caution before
29:28they signed him to an extension.
29:29Let's face it.
29:30We're starting to talk about big money with coaches too.
29:32You know, they don't get paid chump change anymore.
29:34You're talking about millions of dollars.
29:36So that, you know, that's the other part of it too, but that's going to be
29:38something really interesting to watch.
29:41Um, all right.
29:42This is from, uh, T Kevorky on, uh, the Boston sports journal Q and a board
29:47again, look forward to Zadoroff bringing in intimidation element
29:51to the bees of lack for awhile.
29:53He's been in the league for 11 seasons and the bees are at 16.
29:56Any reason for concern about that?
29:58Yes.
29:59And, uh, Pierre Maguire brought this up on the eye test the other day.
30:02He pointed out, we were talking about, look, we, we all agree.
30:05He's going to help.
30:06He's a, he's, he's perfect to put in that second pairing slot on the left.
30:10And maybe you switch them back and forth between the first
30:13period and the second period.
30:14And you can do a lot of things there.
30:15It gives them options.
30:16It gives them as, as the, uh, reader call there said, uh, that
30:20intimidation factor as well.
30:22But you do have to wonder why so many teams, you know, and why, why
30:27does he keep switching and he's had some good years and still switch teams.
30:32Um, I don't know the answer to that.
30:33I don't have it, but I think it's a valid question.
30:36And, you know, maybe we'll do some digging.
30:38We'll try and find out what the answer is to that.
30:40But other than that, I liked the signing.
30:42I was hoping for a while.
30:44And I think, you know, this, I was campaigning for it openly.
30:47I think Noah Hanifin would have been the perfect fit for them on that left side.
30:50There would have solved a lot more problems.
30:53Uh, and obviously brought a lot more high end skill.
30:56Yeah.
30:56Um, but I don't not like this signing.
30:59Um, I just don't, you know, I don't get why that many teams, uh, throughout his
31:05career, that's the only question mark I have with him.
31:08The one thing I would say, um, that might be, uh, something that gets them
31:12traded or gets, you know, is something that could rub somebody the wrong way.
31:20Organizationally at some point is just that I think he, from what I, the people
31:24that I've talked to, he's a very outspoken guy.
31:27He's a very opinionated guy.
31:28He doesn't make, uh, any, he won't be playing for Russia ever again.
31:32I'll tell you that.
31:32Well, he, you know, he doesn't beat around the bush really.
31:35He's pretty blunt with his assessments and his comments and his, you
31:38know, it's his, his opinions about things.
31:40And I'm sure that ends up rubbing some people the wrong way.
31:43Just cause anybody that strong opinions like that, isn't afraid to air them.
31:47Like some people just aren't going to like it.
31:48That's just part of being that kind of person.
31:50I love it though.
31:51Oh, I love it too.
31:53Honestly, Murph, I gotta be honest.
31:56It's great for us, obviously, because like opinionated, he's not, uh, shy
32:00around the microphone, like he's willing to talk, like all that stuff.
32:03And he's willing to talk about league things, world things like whatever.
32:07But I also think the Bruins needed a guy like that.
32:10They needed a guy that was going to like, tell it like it is when there's problems,
32:15call people out if they need to be called out and not be afraid to do it
32:18and kind of be a bad-ass about it.
32:20Like that's the kind of guy that, and I'm not saying they're the same person or a
32:23player, but that's the kind of guy Sean Thornton was that was a perfect fit for
32:27this Bruins teams back in the day is he would call out bullshit.
32:31Like he was also a guy that was, they called the Sean father.
32:33He would hook up players with stuff.
32:35Like he had all kinds of connections.
32:36Like he knew how to play the game, but he also was a guy that if he needed to be
32:40called out or he needed to cut somebody down to size or, you know, tell them
32:45something that they needed to hear, he was the guy that was going to do it.
32:47And he was not afraid to do that.
32:49And he had, he had the respect of everybody to do that.
32:52So I think that's something, you know, that that's the kind of element that I
32:55think this team at times could be a little bit soft about stuff like that, or not be
33:00willing to really like say what needed to be said.
33:03And I think he's the kind of guy that will do that.
33:04But by the same token, I think that's going to cause friction at times, or, you
33:08know, be something that's going to have to be managed.
33:10Yeah, I totally a hundred percent agree.
33:12And maybe it's just a matter of him learning the timing of it and when to say
33:15it and, and, and probably has 11 years into the league.
33:18I probably got it.
33:20I get that stuff out.
33:20Yeah.
33:21Yeah.
33:21So I like it.
33:23I think it's going to be a good sign and I'm not worried about it.
33:25All right.
33:25So this came from Joseph O'Malley on my Facebook fan page, and this is the Irish
33:30name weighed into, yes.
33:31Weighed into the Blackhawks thing a little bit.
33:35Oh, okay.
33:36Maybe on a pucks with hags podcast, you could explain why Stan Bowman
33:39is worth one of the 32 GM spots.
33:41So it was clearly, this is somebody that has hard feelings about the way
33:45the Blackhawks thing was handled, but we all know Bowman was reinstated.
33:49And you talked about Quinville.
33:51He does not have a job currently, head coaching job, but he is, I believe,
33:54open to getting an NHL employment now too.
33:57Do you feel like Stan Bowman deserves a second chance and is
34:00worthy of one of these GM spots?
34:03If, if everything I've read that he did, you know, do what he was supposed to,
34:08he did the work and he really, it sounds like he, he really reached out to Kyle Beach.
34:16I mean, look, I I've gotten two, three, four chances in life on
34:20things that I've screwed up on.
34:22I'm not going to sit here and try and take away a second chance for somebody else.
34:25I don't condone at all what happened.
34:28I think it's horrible.
34:29And I don't think it should ever gotten to the point that it did.
34:33Um, but if he, if all that I've read is true, yeah, I mean, I think
34:39everybody deserves a second chance.
34:40Uh, and as long as, as we've read that Kyle Beach is not against this right
34:47now, and he hasn't come out and vocally said it, and he says that, you know,
34:51look, he has reached out to me.
34:53He has shown remorse.
34:54He's looked for forgiveness.
34:56Uh, then, yeah, I think everybody deserves a second chance.
34:59And, you know, as far as a hockey resume goes, I don't think anyone
35:02can argue what he brings there.
35:03So I think it's a good hockey hire for the Edmonton Oilers.
35:06I do want to say though, you know, just with the Oilers there, even if
35:09they didn't bring in Stan Bowman, I think Jeff Jackson has done a great job
35:13there, uh, with the Oilers, really not making that, they were always that
35:19they were like, what I collect the calm, the Maple Leafs West, you know,
35:21this high end skill team, like you mentioned earlier, they could never
35:24play defense that the Oilers were the same thing, but if you watch that
35:27team throughout this playoff, their bread and butter was defensive hockey.
35:32And their PK, uh, and they got some unbelievable goaltending
35:35from Skinner as it went on.
35:36So I think they're heading in the right direction.
35:39It's a good hockey hire.
35:40As far as the outside stuff goes, obviously I hate what happened.
35:43Um, but if he has paid the price to earn that second chance, then so be it.
35:48Yeah, absolutely.
35:49I agree.
35:50Like I think at a certain point, once the NHL has deemed that they've done
35:54the work and that they've paid the penance and that they've, you know,
35:58done what they were supposed to do, then I think it's, it's time for people
36:01to sort of move on and accept, um, that people do deserve second chances
36:06if they've done the right things.
36:07And if they are truly, uh, if they've truly showed contrition about what, uh,
36:12what act they played in that whole situation, which, you know, I think was,
36:18you know, that could have just happened anywhere necessarily.
36:21It happened in Chicago, but I think there's a lot of NHL spots that something
36:24like that could have happened.
36:26I bet it has.
36:26And, and, and, but that served as a warning and as a message to
36:31every single NHL team.
36:33And by having these executives and coaches like sit on the
36:36sidelines for a while.
36:37I think people realize now what the consequences are if they don't treat
36:40this situations like this in the proper way.
36:42How many years was it?
36:44What's that?
36:44Then he was out.
36:45How many years was he out?
36:46Two, three.
36:46Yeah.
36:46A couple, a couple.
36:47Yeah.
36:48Yeah.
36:48So it wasn't, um, yeah, it was like two, right.
36:51Cause then Bill was the coach of the Panthers and then he had to leave.
36:54So he's been gone.
36:55And then Maurice came in.
36:56Yep.
36:56Yeah.
36:57That was, uh, no Brunette Brunette.
36:59So it's been like three years, I think.
37:01Yeah.
37:02Um, all right.
37:03So, uh, next question from Jimmy on the BSG Q and a board.
37:08And I don't think it was Jimmy Murphy.
37:10Uh, where did the bees rank in their division?
37:12If they stand Pat, how about in the East, the league?
37:15I feel like the bees are marginally better overall than last year, but
37:18have like a 30 or 40% chance to improve their results from last year, which
37:23might be all we can hope for.
37:24But honestly, I was hoping for more.
37:26I don't know what more you really could be hoping for at this point, given what
37:31they did, I think they got two impact players in free agency in Zadorov and
37:37Lindholm, um, they're going to re-sign Jeremy Swayman, you know, they recouped
37:42a first round pick by trading, uh, Lena Solomark.
37:45They brought in, uh, a player in Max Jones, who I think could be a really
37:49nice reclamation project for the Boston Bruins.
37:51It could be a really good fit with the Bruins.
37:53Um, they're going to give a guy like Fabian Lysell, I think every chance to
37:57win a spot on this team and put them potentially in a plum top six right
38:03wing spot with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marshand.
38:05If he's, he does the right things.
38:07Like, I like what they've done.
38:09I think they're they've the, the, with the, the players they've added, I think
38:13they're going to be significantly better than they were last year.
38:17Um, as, as far as like a team that could win in the playoffs, I think they're
38:21going to be significantly better.
38:22No, because they had a very good regular season last year.
38:24I think they, they probably be somewhere around the same, but I think that the way
38:29that they now covet size, heaviness, strength, maybe a little nasty, like some
38:35of the stuff that they like have decided to accumulate more of as, uh, uh, an
38:40organization is going to pay dividends for them in the playoffs.
38:43And you've seen this over the last few years.
38:45They've really figured this out, whether it was a career-oriented
38:48whether it was getting Pat Maroon at this trade deadline, whether it was the
38:51guys that they went out and got in now, they're the smallest defenseman is
38:54Charlie McAvoy at six, one, 210 pounds.
38:57Um, they didn't draft a guy that was under six foot three in the draft.
39:01Like they clearly are starting to realize that they have to be bigger and
39:05stronger and tougher and more physical.
39:08If they're going to win in the playoffs, just seeing how the
39:09Florida Panthers did it.
39:11So I think they're going to be significantly better than they were last year.
39:14I think if they're around where they were last year in the East, that's
39:17totally fine during the regular season.
39:19And this is about them being like incrementally better or
39:22significantly better in the playoff.
39:25A hundred percent agree with everything you said.
39:26And, and, you know, just to echo on the whole thing about
39:29greediness and size and all that.
39:31Like you said, it's not just at the NHL level that they're accumulating this.
39:35They're doing it at the state level.
39:36They're doing it at the state level.
39:37They're doing it at the state level.
39:38They're doing it at the state level.
39:39They're doing it at the state level.
39:41It's not just at the NHL level that they're accumulating this.
39:44They're doing it through the draft now as well.
39:46I mean, look at their first round pick that they made.
39:48So the one thing I'll say, and look, I think they make the playoffs.
39:52And as long as you make the playoffs, it's not a cliche.
39:56You make the dance, anything can happen.
39:58So I I'm with you.
40:00I actually don't think they will finish as high as they did in the division,
40:03in the conference, in the league as they did last year.
40:06But I think they make the playoffs.
40:07And then I think given if they're healthy,
40:10depending on what moves they might have made by that time,
40:13I think they can make a run.
40:15You know, they're a team that could challenge at least to make the conference final.
40:19But you look at the Atlantic division at HAGS,
40:22and one could argue that this is the toughest division in hockey right now.
40:27To either go with that or the Pacific.
40:29But you look at that division, you got to think.
40:31We were talking earlier about the Buffalo Sabres.
40:34When are they ever going to turn it around?
40:35Okay, so there's a team that's pushing to make the playoffs.
40:38You looked at the Ottawa Senators.
40:40That's a team that could push for the playoffs right now.
40:42The Detroit Red Wings, I think, are knocking on the door right there.
40:45They're kind of, you know, the eyes are playing.
40:47I think that's reached its max now, and it's now playoffs or bust for them.
40:52So I think they're going to make some kind of move.
40:54Maybe it's before the season or in the season
40:57to make sure that they're in the playoffs this year and they break their drought.
41:00So I'm looking at it right now, HAGS.
41:03And if I'm looking at the eight teams out of the East,
41:06I feel confident saying that five of them will be from the Atlantic division.
41:10That's how good the Atlantic division is.
41:11So it's going to be a lot of competition throughout the regular season.
41:14But as long as the Bruins stay healthy,
41:16as long as the Swainman situation is resolved and he can handle his new workload,
41:20I think they make the playoffs and then they can do some damage.
41:23Do you think, do you see any of the sort of traditional
41:28Atlantic teams sort of dropping back?
41:30Um, like I look at Tampa and I see a team that might be,
41:35they're a crapshoot to me, might be starting to like,
41:37come back to regress to the mean, getting a little old, like they
41:42losing stamp coast, losing their captain is a big deal.
41:44Like, I don't care what he says, losing that guy.
41:47That's been the unflappable leader.
41:49That's been the center of everything that they've done
41:51and letting him go inside elsewhere.
41:54Not only does that affect them just by his presence being missing.
41:59I think not keeping him around and not showing him loyalty
42:03is also going to affect that team and the players on that team.
42:06Like, I think there's longstanding effects from that way.
42:09That situation played out.
42:12I totally agree with you.
42:13And you know, there was, it like two questions ago,
42:16somebody was saying they could have done a little better in free agency.
42:20If that would be the only guy where I could say they,
42:23they did better than what they did.
42:24That would be the only guy at the center position that I was looking at.
42:27Like, wow, I'd rather him than Lindholm.
42:30But yeah, you can't undervalue what that leadership role and just the staple.
42:35He was the pillar.
42:36He was in that organization for, you know, so many years now.
42:40That's a huge loss.
42:41The only thing I want to attempt, though, they did go out and get canceled.
42:44Okay.
42:46They did bring back McDonough.
42:47So that is going to bring back some leadership there.
42:49It's going to add some grid on the blue line.
42:51And I look in the tooth though.
42:53He's starting.
42:54They are getting long in a tooth.
42:55They are getting long in a tooth.
42:57They got a little smaller overall, but the X factor as it always is.
43:02And we started the show off with it as goaltending.
43:04Yeah.
43:04Does Vasilevsky come back on a war path?
43:07Is he out to prove that last year was an anomaly?
43:10That's the one thing I look at there, but I'm with you.
43:12If that's one of the teams that's been a steady playoff team that could drop out.
43:17I'm with you.
43:18It could be the Tampa Bay Lightning.
43:19Yeah.
43:20I can see.
43:20I just don't think I don't.
43:21I don't think the Florida Panthers are as good this year.
43:23They had big losses.
43:25Yeah.
43:26Yep.
43:26They did.
43:27Montour is gone.
43:29Their power play is going to suffer.
43:30Tarasenko is gone.
43:31A lot of the depth has gone and they've lost some key players.
43:34There's no question about it.
43:35Yep.
43:37But I still think they're the bones of that team.
43:40I think they're still very good.
43:41I think they're a playoff team.
43:42They got some young guys coming too.
43:44Yeah.
43:44Do I think they're going to win the cup?
43:45Probably not.
43:46Again, probably not.
43:46But that's extremely difficult to do anyway.
43:49Well, and don't forget, Pads.
43:50They were in the cup the year before too.
43:51So they're going to have quite the cup hangover right now.
43:54That catches up to you as we saw with Tampa.
43:56Yep.
43:57I think Toronto is Toronto.
43:59They're going to have a good regular season,
44:01but I don't expect anything out of them come playoff time,
44:04just as currently constituted.
44:07No goalie.
44:07No, it's insanity.
44:09They keep watching them flame out in the playoffs
44:12and don't change anything.
44:14Keep the band playing because everybody buys tickets
44:16during the regular season and has Marner jerseys
44:19and Nylander jerseys and Matthews jerseys.
44:23The Marner thing's interesting too, though.
44:24What happens with that?
44:25That's a huge factor in where Toronto goes.
44:28Oh, yeah.
44:29100%.
44:31That's kind of the little secret nobody's talking about right now.
44:34Yep.
44:35It's going to be interesting.
44:36Murph, thank you very much for joining us.
44:38I appreciate it.
44:38Always a pleasure, man.
44:40Talk to you soon.
44:40All right.
44:41Until next time, everybody.
44:42Thanks for listening.
44:42We'll see you at the rink.
44:55Bye.

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